NBA Playoff Betting – (3) Clippers at (6) Spurs (Game 3)
Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs (-4, 204.5 o/u)
The best first-round series in this year’s NBA playoffs moves to a new venue and a pivotal Game 3 tonight as the Los Angeles Clippers (1-1, 0-0 away) head to San Antonio to face the Spurs (1-1, 0-0 home) at the AT&T Center (9:30 PM Eastern).
The Spurs stole game two in Los Angeles (111-107 in OT) behind an epic, throw-back performance from 39-year-old Tim Duncan. San Antonio’s ageless center finished the night with 28 points and 11 rebounds, carrying his team in the effective absence of Manu Ginobili (who fouled out with just nine points) and Tony Parker (who was limited to 0/6 shooting in 29 minutes due to an Achilles injury).
Duncan’s performance left his longtime coach Gregg Popovich in awe.
“He was spectacular,” said Popovich. “He continues to amaze me with the things that he is able to do. He knows he had to stay on the court and he figured out a way to do it. He continued to be aggressive, which is pretty amazing.”
While backup point guard Patty Mills played well in Parker’s stead, Duncan realizes that his team isn’t likely to go too far without the French point guard performing at a high level.
“[I’m] very concerned,” said Duncan. “I hope he’s able to play and play well for us. We need him for that. He’s a big part of what we do, obviously. So him not at 100-percent hurts us.”
Los Angeles, meanwhile, will look to regroup after letting Game 2 slip away at home. Blake Griffin played exceptionally for the Clips, posting a triple-double with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists, but the team missed 17 of 37 attempts from the free-throw line. (Center DeAndre Jordan, alone, missed 11 of 17.)
The Clippers had covered three of the last four games against the Spurs, but San Antonio won SU and ATS on Tuesday night as slim road dogs. The Spurs are four-point favorites for tonight’s game and the o/u is at 204.5. With Parker struggling from his Achilles injury, look for San Antonio to focus on D and this game to stay under.
(Photo credit: Verse Photography (Flickr: 20131118 ClippersvGrizzles27) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)
Zack is a tour guide whose favorite sports are football, baseball, and golf. He enjoys giving obnoxious commentary during games and hopes to some day write a book about sports. His favorite underdog victory was the Diamondbacks beating the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series.
