The Los Angeles Clippers solidified their hold of fifth spot in the Western Conference with an impressive 14-point win Friday over the Washington Wizards. They can leapfrog the reeling Portland Trail Blazers into fourth place in the team standings when they square off with the injury-plagued New Orleans Pelicans later today.
Read on below for an in-depth preview of this Western Conference matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our breakdown of the much-anticipated showdown between the San Antonio Spurs and the Atlanta Hawks here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Clippers Betting Preview
Where: STAPLES Center, Los Angeles
When: Sunday, March 22, 3:30 PM ET
Line: New Orleans Pelicans at Los Angeles Clippers – view all NBA lines
Betting on the New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans’ playoff bid took a huge hit on Friday as the Pelicans suffered a 112-96 defeat to the league-leading Golden State Warriors. It was the Pelicans’ second consecutive loss and has left them two games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
[sc:NBA240banner ]It has been a difficult period for the Pelicans, who are missing some key personnel heading into the final stretch of the regular season. In the game against the Warriors, New Orleans missed the services of Anthony Davis, Omer Asik, Ryan Anderson, Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans who were all out because of varying injuries.
That’s an entire starting five missing out there! Those five players are averaging a combined 78.3 PPG for the Pelicans this season, almost 80% of the team’s total output. Davis, in particular, has been crucial to New Orleans’ success this campaign, leading the team in points (24.6 PPG), rebounds (10.4 RPG) and blocks (2.9 BPG).
With Asik also out because of a calf injury, the Pelicans found it difficult to cope inside the paint in their last two games. They have been outscored 98-60 inside the shaded area in those two contests. With Davis’ status still uncertain for Sunday’s game against the Clippers, the onus is on Alexis Ajinca to hold the fort for New Orleans’ frontcourt.
Ajinca scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds in just 19 minutes of action in their last game against the Warriors. Expect head coach Monty Williams to provide Ajinca some more playing time as the Pelicans next face the dynamic frontline of the Clips.
New Orleans is 6-4 SU and 7-3 ATS in its last 10 road games.
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Betting on the Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers extended their winning streak to three games with an emphatic 113-99 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night. A total of four players scored in double-figures for the Clippers who moved a game ahead of the Spurs for fifth place in the Western Conference with a 45-25 slate.
Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan were the stars of the show for the Clippers as they both recorded impressive double-doubles. Paul had 30 points and 15 assists while Jordan scored 10 points and grabbed a whopping 23 rebounds. The two have been playing lights-out basketball for the Clips during their current three-game winning streak. Paul is averaging 27.0 points and 11.3 assists while Jordan is averaging 9.3 points and 17.3 rebounds during this stretch.
More than their offensive exploits against the Wizards, what stood out in their win Friday was their excellent performance on the defensive end. They held the Wizards to just two field goals in the final 6:54 to stave off a fourth-quarter Washington rally. That’s quite a feat for the Clips considering Washington is third in the league in field goal shooting this season with a 46.7 percent clip.
Up next for the red-hot Clippers are the New Orleans Pelicans. The two sides have split their first two meetings this season with both teams winning at their respective home courts. The Clippers trounced the Pelicans, 120-100 in their first meeting on December 6 before New Orleans returned the favor with a 108-103 win on January 30.
Blake Griffin was a beast for Los Angeles in those two games, averaging 24.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Griffin will fancy his chances of continuing his dominance against the Pelicans especially with their frontcourt duo of Davis and Asik still possibly out for today’s game. Griffin leads the Clippers in scoring this season with 22.2 PPG.
The Clippers are 7-3 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Clippers stretch their unbeaten run to four games with a 115-98 win.
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