With Blake Griffin back in action, the Los Angeles Clippers are suddenly looking like serious championship contenders again. The Clips have been scoring the ball at a highly efficient rate, with Griffin, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick leading the charge. The New York Knicks, meanwhile, have been the polar opposite in terms of offensive efficiency, which is probably expected of the team with the worst record in the NBA.
But as the San Antonio Spurs found out, underestimate the Knicks at your own peril. Can they claim another big Western Conference casualty in MSG? Read on as we preview this Wednesday night showcase. Also, check out Wednesday’s marquee matchup out West with our Thunder vs. Spurs preview.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Los Angeles Clippers vs. New York Knicks Preview
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York
When: Wednesday, March 25, 2015, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Los Angeles Clippers (-14.5) at New York Knicks (+14.5); total 197.0 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Los Angeles Clippers
After 15 games out, it didn’t take long for Blake Griffin to snap back into All-Star form. The Clippers have been all the better for it, with Griffin’s 21 points (on 51 percent shooting) and eight rebounds per game in his last four helping them to four straight wins.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Clippers were surprisingly decent with Griffin out, going a respectable 9-6 in those 15 games. Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan and J.J. Redick all stepped up their game in Griffin’s absence, and have continued their excellent play with Griffin back.
Paul is averaging 26 points and 11 assists during the winning streak, while Redick is dropping 24 points on an absurd 55 percent shooting. Jordan is doing what Jordan does best, with 10 points and 17 rebounds per game.
With the way the Clippers offense is clicking with Griffin at the moment – they’re averaging 111.9 points per 100 possessions over the last four games, second-best in the league – they should have their way against a Knicks defense ranked next to last in defensive efficiency on the season.
Don’t expect any let-up from a Clippers team still jockeying for possible homecourt advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. The Clippers are 10-1 in their last 11 games against teams below .500.
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Betting on the New York Knicks
It’s been another month to forget for the NBA-worst New York Knicks (14-57). Aside from a shocking 104-100 overtime win over the Spurs on March 17, the Knicks have lost damn near every game this month. They’re 2-11 in March (4-9 against the spread), to be exact, and have lost their last four in a row.
Eight of those 11 losses have been by double-digits. Not only have they been blown out by the best teams like Golden State (125-94) and Memphis (103-82), they’ve also been handily beaten by teams much closer to their level, like Denver (106-78) and Philadelphia (97-81).
Despite the best efforts of Alexey Shved, the team’s leading scorer this month with 16.6 points per game, the Knicks’ anemic offense has scored 100 points in regulation just once all month long. Shved missed their last game on Monday against the Grizzlies with a rib injury and is listed as questionable against the Clippers.
With their top scorer possibly playing at less than 100 percent, it’ll definitely be a challenge for the Knicks to score or defend well enough to hang with the Clippers. The Knicks have a minus-105 point differential in their last eight games against teams with winning records.
Writer’s Prediction
The Clippers show no mercy as they win and cover easily in the Garden against the Knicks.
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