Game 5 of the series between the Los Angeles Clippers and the San Antonio Spurs featured 17 lead changes and 11 deadlocks. In the end, the Spurs came out on top, winning the game, 111-107. Will the Spurs win on Thursday and advance to the Western Conference semifinal? Or will the Clips bring the series back home for a winner-take-all Game 7?
Read on for more about this game below. You can also click here for the preview of Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs series between the Wild and the Blackhawks.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 – San Antonio Spurs 92 at Los Angeles Clippers 107
Game 2 – San Antonio Spurs 111 at Los Angeles Clippers 107 (OT)
Game 3 – Los Angeles Clippers 79 at San Antonio Spurs 100
Game 4 – Los Angeles Clippers 114 at San Antonio Spurs 105
Game 5 – April 28, San Antonio Spurs 111 at Los Angeles Clippers 107
Game 6 – April 30, 9:30 PM ET, Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs – view all NBA lines
Game 7* – May 2 TBD, San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers
* If necessary
Betting on the Los Angeles Clippers
Despite another monster performance from Blake Griffin, the Clippers failed to top the Spurs in Game 5. With their season now a loss away from ending, the Clippers will have to win at San Antonio on Thursday if they are to force a Game 7.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Griffin paced LA in Game 5, scoring 30 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Chris Paul, on the other hand, followed up his 34-point explosion in Game 4 with a double-double of 19 points and 10 assists. There were also sufficient production from fellow starters DeAndre Jordan and J.J. Redick, who combined for 34 points.
The Clippers, however, were clearly weighed down by an anemic bench that mustered just 17 points and a faulty defense that allowed the Spurs knock down 11 threes. Austin Rivers and Jamaal Crawford, who scored 16 and 15 points, respectively in Game 4, could only come up with a total of 10 points in Game 5. That won’t cut it for the Clippers’ bench, which is hard pressed to match (if not better) the production of the Spurs’ relievers.
Locating the Spurs’ outside shooters has been a constant problem of LA, as San Antonio is averaging 9.0 three-pointers per game thus far in this series. On the flipside, the Clippers are making just 6.2 threes per game. They’ve been especially bad from the outside over the last two games, where they’ve gone just 6-for-32 (18.7 percent) from beyond the arc.
It’s an unacceptable figure for a team that finished the regular season fourth in three-point shooting (10.1 threes per game) and third in three-point shooting percentage (37.6%).
The Clippers have been excellent on the road of late, as evidenced by their 9-1 SU record in their last 10 road games. The lone blemish on that record, however, was the Clips’ 100-73 loss in Game 3 of the series against San Antonio.
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Betting on the San Antonio Spurs
Where would the Spurs be without Tim Duncan? The 39-year-old veteran was his vintage self on Tuesday, as he led San Antonio with 21 points and 11 rebounds to help tow the Spurs to victory.
Despite his age, Duncan has played superbly in the series against the much younger frontline of LA. With Tiago Splitter not playing at 100 percent because of a nagging calf injury, the Spurs will have to rely more on Duncan offensively and defensively down low.
Duncan is averaging 17.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game thus far in the first round. Duncan, however, should get help in Game 6 from fellow big man Boris Diaw, who was clutch in the previous outing. Diaw scored eight of his 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field in the fourth quarter of Game 5.
Another player the Spurs need to produce is Danny Green. Green finished the regular season with an average of 11.7 points on 43.6% shooting. He’s nowhere near those numbers in this postseason as he is putting up just 6.5 points on an ugly 29% shooting.
Green, though, scored nine points on Thursday, which was better than his embarrassing zero-point output in Game 4. In case Green continues to flounder, the Spurs can always count on their stout bench to provide ample scoring punch.
The Spurs’ bench is second overall in this playoffs in terms of scoring, as Manu Ginobili, Patty Mills, and the rest of the team’s relievers are averaging 44.6 point per game.
Kawhi Leonard, meanwhile, remains the Spurs’ best player in series against the Clippers. Leonard, who scored 18 points in Game 5, is averaging 23.4 points per game on an efficient 54.3% shooting.
San Antonio is 9-1 SU and 8-2 ATS in its last 10 home games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
LA wins, 108-103.
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