NBA Betting – LA Clippers at San Antonio Spurs

 LA Clippers at San Antonio Spurs (-1.5, 201.5 o/u)

After losing four games in a row, the San Antonio Spurs (17-11) will try to get back to their winning ways tonight when they host the Los Angeles Clippers at the AT&T Center (8:30 p.m. Eastern).

San Antonio’s recent slide has seen them drop to seventh in the Western Conference (17-11). Point guard Tony Parker – who leads the team in points (16 per game) and assists (5.3 per game) – has missed eight of the last nine games, and the Spurs have gone just 3-6 without the Frenchman on the floor.  (Backup point guard Patty Mills has also been injured for the majority of the season, increasing the impact of Parker being on the sideline.)  Parker is probable to return tonight, though.

Even if Parker can go, the Spurs won’t be at full strength. Kawhi Leonard, last year’s NBA Finals MVP, is suffering from a hand injury and will miss tonight’s game against the Clippers.

The Spurs’ injury problems could not have come at a worse time.  They are in a stretch of five games against tough Western Conference opponents and, so far, have lost four (to Portland (twice), Memphis, and Dallas).

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers are sixth in the West (19-8). But they have been playing solid ball lately, winning seven of their last ten games; the Clippers have also taken care of business against Conference foes, going 10-5 against teams in the West.  The Clippers don’t have any significant injuries for tonight’s game.  (Apologies to Spencer Hawes, who is out with a bruised knee.)

The Clippers and Spurs play drastically different styles of basketball.  Los Angeles likes to run-and-gun, averaging 106.4 points per game (fourth in the NBA).  The Spurs, on the other hand, rely on a methodical offense and stifling D (averaging 102.1 points per game, and giving up 97.5).  The Spurs’ defense got the better of the Clippers in early November, leading San Antonio to a low-scoring 89-85 win at the Staples Center.

The Spurs are 1.5-point favorites to break their losing streak tonight.  Keep a close eye on whether Parker can go.  If he can’t, the Clippers-plus-the-points looks like the better play.

(Photo credit: Mike (Flickr: Spurs-Magic078) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo may appear cropped.)