The Oklahoma City Thunder have been beastly, winning seven of their last eight heading into this matchup. They’ll be brimming with confidence facing the Los Angeles Clippers, who are yet to beat a team ahead of them in the Western Conference Standings. The Clippers have lost two games to Golden State and another to San Antonio this season. They’ll get a shot to break that streak when they welcome Oklahoma City to Staples Center tonight.
It’s going to be one hell of a ballgame when the Thunder and Clippers collide. Get some more action on Monday night with our complete preview for Monday Night Football’s Lions vs. Saints and the Miami Beach Bowl’s Western Kentucky vs. South Florida.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Clippers Preview
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles
When: Monday, December 21, 10:30 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder (18-9)
Kevin Durant played the Clippers just once last season as he battled a persistent foot injury. He’ll be licking his chops at exploding for a monster performance against a team he dominated in the 2014 Western Conference Playoffs. Durant was sensational in the 2014 playoff semifinal series against the Clippers, averaging 38.3 points in three road games, including a 39-point and 16-rebound effort in the series clincher.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Durant has been stellar leading into this game, averaging 24.6 points on 51 percent shooting in his last five outings. Most recently, Durant exploded for 22 points on 54 percent shooting in a 118-78 blowout of the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. Expect Durant to play out of his mind, especially with a solid point guard feeding him passes for easy looks.
Russell Westbrook’s 9.5 assists per game ranks second in the league this season. He’s entering this game on the heels of back-to-back double-double performances, averaging 20 points and 10.5 assists per game. But he didn’t have the best of statlines in the 2014-15 series against the Clippers. Westbrook averaged 15 points, 5.3 assists and six turnovers per game in three matchups.
What could win this game for the Thunder is their presence on the boards. They lead the league in rebound margin at plus-eight. Their opponents, the Clippers, are one of the league’s worst with a minus-4.8 rebound margin. A pair of big men helps the Thunder dominate the boards. Center Enes Kanter has a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game, while power forward Serge Ibaka has 7.1 per game.
The Thunder are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against the Clippers.
Betting on the Los Angeles Clippers (16-12)
The Clippers enter this game on the heels of back-to-back road losses to San Antonio and Houston. A return to Staples Center may give them the energy they need to break their losing streak. The Clippers have won their last two games at home, but winning a third may be quite difficult against one of the Western Conference’s best, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Clippers have a stellar point guard running their offense. Chris Paul continues to be one the league’s best playmakers, ranking third in the NBA with nine assists per game. Paul has been playing well recently, averaging 17.6 points and 10.8 assists per game in his last five outings. He could get even better against the Thunder after he averaged 24.3 points and 9.7 assists in three games last season.
Blake Griffin can have a solid outing if Paul gets to dish out plenty of assists in this game. The Clippers’ star power forward played just one game against the Thunder last year. He was solid in that matchup with 23 points, seven rebounds (including five offensive boards) and three assists. But he fouled out in a season-opening 93-90 win.
Another player to look out for is DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers has been solid recently with double-doubles in his last two games. He’s also had a strong defensive presence with 11 blocks in his last four games.
The Clippers are 3-6 ATS in their last nine at home.
Writer’s Prediction
The Thunder show no signs of slowing down. Oklahoma City beats down on the Clippers in a blowout. Create a betting account now and get your fix of NBA action.
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