Thank God for this Clippers-Spurs series. By far the most interesting and most competitive matchup in a pretty boring first round is all tied up at two games apiece after the Clippers closed out Game 4 in San Antonio behind point god Chris Paul. But it was Austin Rivers who was the unsung hero as he dropped 16 points off the much-maligned Clipper bench.
As the series returns to Los Angeles, do Rivers and the other Clippers reserves have another great game in them in order to reclaim the series lead? Read on for our preview of this crucial Game 5.
While this series is still far from over, the Bulls and Grizzlies look to close out their respective series on Monday. Check out our previews of the Bucks vs. Bulls and the Grizzlies vs. Blazers.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs Game 5 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 TBD, San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers – view all NBA lines
Game 6 – April 30 TBD, Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs
Game 7* – May 2 TBD, San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers
* if necessary
Betting on the San Antonio Spurs
The good news for the Spurs is that Tony Parker finally made his presence felt in the series. Parker scored 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting in Game 4 after tallying just 17 points in the first three games combined. Kawhi Leonard continued his impressive scoring with 28 points, while Tim Duncan had another vintage line with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The bad news was that it wasn’t enough for the Spurs even at home, where they had won 17 of their last 19 games. Starters Tiago Splitter (0 points in 18 minutes) and Danny Green (0 points, 0-of-6 from three in 28 minutes) were complete non-factors in Game 4.
The Spurs probably shouldn’t expect much more from Splitter, who’s playing on an injured calf. But they desperately need something from Green on the offensive end. He’s averaging just 6.5 points and shooting 29 percent in the first four games.
Meanwhile, the Spurs bench – one of their big advantages in the series – could only muster six more points than the Clippers reserves (39-33). The Spurs bench scored 48 points in their 111-107 Game 2 win in Los Angeles, with Patty Mills’ 18 points leading the way. With Parker’s production still a major question mark going forward, Mills will be a major player if the Spurs are to reclaim home-court.
The Spurs are just 11-9 (9-11 against the spread) in their last 20 road games.
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Betting on the Los Angeles Clippers
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will get most of the plaudits for the Clippers’ crucial 114-105 Game 4 win in San Antonio, and rightly so. Paul had another spellbinding game with 34 points, including a stretch of six straight points and an assist on a JJ Redick three in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
Paul heeded the call for him to take over. “All my teammates, my brother, all them been telling me how passive I’ve been, so I just tried to be a little aggressive,” he said. Good things tend to happen when Paul is aggressive and looking for his shot. The Clippers are now 2-0 in the series when Paul scores 30 or more points.
Meanwhile, Griffin continued his spectacular all-around series with 20 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists in Game 4. He’s averaging 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists through four games. But the Clippers didn’t win Game 4 without the contributions of their two Duke guards, Redick and Austin Rivers.
After averaging 11 points on 31 percent shooting in the first three games, Redick finally broke out of his mini-slump with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting in Game 4. With Redick – the team’s third-leading scorer with 16.4 points per game during the regular season – on point, the Clippers’ terrific offense should be that much more dangerous.
Rivers’ 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting off the bench was completely unexpected and arguably swung the game in the Clippers’ favor. But it remains to be seen if he can provide that sort of production on a consistent basis. Rivers, who also had 11 points in Game 3, mostly in garbage time, has scored double-digits in three straight games just once since coming over to the Clippers.
The Clippers are just 2-8 against the spread in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Clippers take control of the series with another hard-fought 109-103 home win.
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