NBA Playoff Betting – (3) Clippers at (2) Rockets (Game 5)
By Zack Garrison in News
Updated: January 17, 2018 at 9:39 am ESTPublished:
Los Angeles Clippers (-2.5, 219 o/u) at Houston Rockets
No team has looked flatter in the second round of the NBA playoffs than the Houston Rockets (56-26, 30-11 Home). Trailing the 3-1, they look for a win to extend their Western Conference playoffs series against the Los Angeles Clippers (56-26, 26-15 Away) tonight at the Toyota Center (9:30 PM Eastern).
The Rockets lost both games in L.A. by at least 25 points and looked uncharacteristically awful on the offensive side. In their 125-98 loss on Sunday, the team lacked intensity and rhythm, and sometimes looked scared to attack the basket.
Now on the brink of elimination, the Rockets are hoping that hardship will breed heroics.
“This is the ultimate adversity right here,” MVP runner-up James Harden told the Associated Press. “We’ve got to get one at home with Game 5 back at the house. It’s really win or go home. Our backs are against the wall and we’ve got to show up.”
The Clippers, meanwhile, have been on fire the entire series and have looked especially good since the return of point guard Chris Paul (hamstring) to the starting lineup.
“I’m sure they’re not fouling to make sure my hamstring feels good,” Paul said to the AP. “If so, I appreciate it, I guess. I’m feeling better. I think that’s all that matters. We’ve just got to stay hungry for the game on Tuesday.”
Instead of going after Paul, the Rockets have opted to foul forward DeAndre Jordan … a lot. The troubled free-throw shooter was sent to the line 34 times in Game 4, making only 14. The strategy slowed down the game, which took almost three hours to complete, and never really allowed the Rockets to find a rhythm offensively.
Unlike in their series with the Spurs, the Clippers have been receiving strong contributions from their bench, as well. Coach’s son Austin Rivers, in particular, has added invaluable secondary scoring, putting in 25 points in Game 3 and another 12 in Game 4.
Looking at the trends, Houston is 1-5 ATS in their last six games at home against the Clippers. With L.A. on fire and Houston reeling, the Clippers minus the points looks like the best value on the board.
Pick: Clippers -2.5.
(Photo credit: 2O (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)
Sports Writer
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.
