There’s just no stopping the Clippers right now. Los Angeles extended its winning streak to three games with a 14-point victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. Chris Paul and co. will look to sustain the momentum of that huge win when they lock horns with the Chicago Bulls at United Center later tonight.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this much-anticipated NBA matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets.
The Los Angeles Clippers stretched their unbeaten run to three games with a convincing 109-95 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. J.J. Redick led the way for the Clips, scoring a season-high 31 points. Redick, who averaged 24 points in two games against Milwaukee last season, once again lit up his old team, scoring 15 huge points in the third quarter.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Key to the Clips’ resurgence has been their phenomenal offense. Doc Rivers’ men are averaging 103.4 points per game this season, sixth-best in the NBA. The Clips have stepped up their offensive play of late, averaging 107.3 points in their last three games. That red-hot offense was in full display Wednesday against the Bucks where they shot a solid 42.9 percent (12-of-28) from beyond the arc.
They will look to replicate that hot shooting performance when they take on the struggling Bulls later tonight. The Clips will have their work cut out for them, however, against a Chicago side that’s 11th in the NBA in scoring defense, allowing 98.6 points per game this season. The Clips will take comfort in the fact, though, that they have fared extremely well against the Bulls on the road of late. The Clips have won nine of their last 10 games against the Bulls at United Center. Los Angeles has covered the spread in eight of those 10 games as well.
For the Clippers to extend that dominance tonight, they will need Blake Griffin and Chris Paul to continue their excellent play. Griffin had 21 points and 14 rebounds in the win against Milwaukee while Paul racked up 18 points and a whopping 18 assists. Paul and Griffin averaged 20.0 and 19.0 points, respectively, against the Bulls last season.
Betting on the Chicago Bulls (11-8)
The Chicago Bulls crashed to their third consecutive defeat with a gut-wrenching 105-100 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. The Bulls had no answer for Isaiah Thomas who scored nine of his 20 points in the final three minutes. It was another disappointing result for the Bulls who shot just 42.9 percent from the field.
The Bulls will look to get their season back on track when they face the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. For the Bulls to snap their losing skid this evening, they will need to improve on their play on the defensive end. The Bulls have allowed an average of 103.3 points in their last three losses. Charlotte, Phoenix and Boston scored more than 100 points in each of those three defeats.
Apart from their defense, the Bulls also need to work on their offensive execution down the stretch. Chicago missed eight of its first nine shots in the fourth quarter against Boston. The onus then is on Jimmy Butler to carry the scoring load for the Bulls. He scored a season-high 36 points in the game against the Celtics. He was rested, though, in that critical juncture in the fourth quarter. He averaged 16.0 points and 5.0 assists in two meetings with the Clippers last season.
