The Los Angeles Clippers are in the midst of a lengthy eight-game road trip that, so far, hasn’t been kind to them. After losing in Brooklyn on Monday, the journey continues for Chris Paul and the rest of the Clippers, who’ll find themselves next in Quicken Loans Arena, home of the hottest team in the league, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Over in the collegiate ranks, the madness is getting more and more intense as March draws near. You can read a preview of Boston vs Notre Dame here and Georgia Tech vs. Duke here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Los Angeles Clippers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Preview
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
When: Friday, February 5, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers — view all NBA lines
Betting on the Los Angeles Clippers
Suddenly, the Clippers are struggling to find their form. After going on a six-game win streak, Lob City has dropped two of their last three contests, which includes a 102-100 loss in Brooklyn on Monday.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The loss was a bitter one for Los Angeles, which dominated the Nets in many facets of the game. They won the rebounding battle (52-45), scored more off offensive rebounds (16-12), on the fast break (12-10), and inside the paint (56-40). All of those were put to waste, though, largely because they did an atrocious job from the free throw line, where they went just 8-for-25 (32%).
DeAndre Jordan, who scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed 20 rebounds against the Nets, made just two of his 12 attempts from the charity stripe. This kind of free throw shooting does not bode well for the Clips, who went 25-for-36 (69.4%) from the foul line in their 126-121 loss against Cleveland on January 16.
The Clippers will likely come into this game without the services of starting shooting guard J.J. Redick, who played just four minutes and went scoreless against Brooklyn before leaving the game with a back injury. If he’s ultimately ruled out for the contest, expect Austin Rivers to see a major increase in minutes. Rivers (6.6 PPG, 2.3 APG) scored five points in 18 minutes of action against the Nets.
The under is 5-1 in their last six games overall.
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Betting on Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James and company aren’t done manufacturing wins. With their 97-84 win on Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Cavaliers have extended the league’s longest active win streak to 11 games and will look to make it 12 in a row when they host the Clippers this coming Thursday.
Behind the team’s balanced offensive attack, Cleveland was able to repel the stubborn 76ers, who cut a 20-point third deficit down to just two early in the final period. Kyrie Irving and Matthew Dellavedova combined for 22 points in the fourth quarter to put an end to Philadelphia’s upset bid.
Irving has been phenomenal during the Cavs’ win streak. During that span, Irving has averaged 25.8 PPG and 5.3 APG. That being said, James has even better numbers than Irving, we’re just all used to it. The four-time MVP has averages of 28.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 6.9 APG in 10 games played since mid-January. Both Irving and James had a blast in their first meeting with the Clippers, as the two went off for 37 and 32 points, respectively.
If the Cavs are to win against Los Angeles again, they’ll have to find a way to prevent the Clippers from going berserk in the open court. In their January meeting, the Clips torched Cleveland’s transition defense with 32 fast break points.
The Cavs are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games against Los Angeles.
Writer’s Prediction
Cleveland wins, 107-102.
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