Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs Predictions, Picks and Preview – 2015 NBA Playoffs, Western Conference First Round Game 3 – April 24, 2015

The San Antonio Spurs held off a stiff challenge by the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 2 to hack out a 111-107 overtime win and knot the series at one game apiece. Tim Duncan once again rolled back the years for the Spurs who now set their sights on grabbing a 2-1 series lead this coming Friday.

Who will emerge victorious in Game 3 of this epic Western Conference matchup? Read on for an in-depth breakdown of this clash and while you’re at it you can check out our other Western Conference Game 3 previews in Golden State vs. New Orleans, Houston vs. Dallas and Portland vs. Memphis.
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Los Angeles Clippers vs. San Antonio Spurs Game 3 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 – April 24, 9:30 PM ET, Los Angeles Clippers (+4) at San Antonio Spurs (-4); total: 205.0 – view all NBA lines

Game 4 – April 26, 3:30 PM ET, Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs

Game 5 – April 28 TBD, San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers

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 Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers wasted a glorious opportunity to bury the San Antonio Spurs in their First Round matchup, suffering a gut-wrenching 111-107 loss in Game 2 of their Western Conference showdown on Wednesday.

[sc:NBA240banner ]The series could have easily been 2-0 in favor of the Clippers if not for some costly mistakes towards the end of regulation. Blake Griffin committed the game’s biggest error, losing the ball on an ill-advised drive that paved the way for the Spurs’ Game 2 win. The Spurs took advantage of that miscue as they outscored the Clippers, 19-13 the rest of the way.

Griffin’s late-game blunder overshadowed his towering performance on Wednesday. He recorded his first career playoff triple-double in Game 2, scoring 29 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 12 assists. With the loss, the Clippers now fell to 5-6 all-time in Game 2 of a best-of-seven series.

The Clippers can’t dwell much longer from their harrowing defeat, as they have just one day to prepare for Game 3. They can focus, though, on the positive things that they did in Game 2 such as their incredible defense late in the contest that almost gave them the comeback victory.

Trailing 88-78 with 6:41 remaining in regulation, the Clippers buckled down on the defensive end, holding the Spurs to just two field goals the rest of the way. That helped negate their shortcomings on the free throw line where they shot just 9 of 21 in the fourth quarter.

After holding the Spurs to just 36.6% shooting in Game 1, the defending champions bounced back, shooting at a high 46.2% clip in Game 2. The Clippers need to bring the same defensive intensity that they showed in Game 1 for them to regain homecourt advantage in this series.

The Clippers are 8-0 SU and ATS in their last eight road games.

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Betting on the San Antonio Spurs

Chalk up another win for Tim Duncan against Father Time.

In Game 2, Duncan had 28 points and 11 rebounds for his 159th career playoff double-double, tops in the entire NBA. It was a record-setting night for Duncan who became the fifth player in league history to reach 5,000 postseason points.

He joins an elite list that includes Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. It seemed inevitable that Duncan would give such a top-notch performance in Game 2. The Spurs are 8-0 in Game 2 when down 1-0 in the first round in the Tim Duncan era.

It wasn’t just Duncan, though, who starred for the Spurs on Wednesday. Kawhi Leonard had another huge outing, scoring 23 points and grabbing nine boards. It was the inspired play, though, of Patty Mills that proved to be the difference in this game as he stepped up big time in the absence of the injured Tony Parker.

Mills scored 18 points off the bench, none bigger than the two free throws he made with 8.6 seconds remaining that sent the game into overtime. Mills’ improved play is a welcome development for Gregg Popovich, who needs his other guards to step up as Tony Parker is slowed down by various ailments. Aside from suffering  a bruise on his left quadriceps, Parker is also dealing with a right Achilles injury, one that forced him to leave Game 2 with still five minutes left to play in the fourth period. Parker, who only has 11 points thus far in the series, is questionable to play in Game 3.

The Spurs are 9-0 SU and 8-1 ATS in their last nine home games.

Writer’s Prediction

San Antonio wins, 98-93, to go 2-1 up in the series.
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