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The LA Clippers will play their second match in two nights when they travel to Sacramento on Thursday, 24 hours after claiming a magnificent win against the Warriors in Oakland.
The Kings (13-27, 7-12 home) have lost 5 of their last 6 games, which isn`t a surprise given the fact that they are in a rebuilding year. Sacramento hasn`t played well all season, and are currently tied for the 2nd worst record in the entire NBA. Last time out they lost 86-99 to the lowly Lakers two nights ago.
The Clippers (19-21, 8-12 away) are on the back of an incredible 125-106 win at Golden State, a result which was even more remarkable considering LA didn`t have Griffin, Teodosic, Rivers, Beverley and Gallinari (although GS also missed Curry and Thompson). The Clippers have been good lately despite struggling with injuries, winning 8 of the last 11 games and closing in on the playoffs after a poor start.
Bet on SAC Kings v LA Clippers and get your 100% (100 Eur) bonus at Ohmbet now!Team news: The Kings have questionmarks over Hill, Giles, Mason and Papagiannis, all of them being unlikely to play. The Clippers will again be shorthanded, missing Griffin, Rivers, Beverley, Gallinari and CJ Williams, but there`s a good chance Teodosic will return. Griffin also has a shot to return, but it`s rather unlikely, and I am not counting on it.
The Clippers have slowly worked out how to deal with all those injuries, and are now playing great basketball despite not having the best talent available. I do not rate Doc Rivers highly as a coach, but truth is he is proving me wrong lately – having managed to build good chemistry between the second string guys, and that can be seen from the recent results.
Being back to back will be a downside for the Clippers coming into this match, especially as they are shorthanded, but they know a win would be huge in their quest to reach the playoffs, and will definitely give their best effort. Against a poor and out of form Kings side, they have a very good chance to claim a 3rd consecutive win.
The potential return of Teodosic would be crucial for LA, as he will provide both fresh legs (considering LA is back to back) and an improvement in LA`s playmaking abilities. Teodosic has been great for the Clippers this season. Despite not posting great numbers, he is having a huge impact on winning and is always recording excellent +/- stats. When he plays, the Clippers usually win and cover the spread.
Even if Teodosic won`t return, the Clippers should be good enough with Lou Williams and DeAndre Jordan leading the show against a very poor kings side. However, Milos is more likely to play than not, and hopefully he will.
The point spread is currently set at -1.5 points in favor of the Clippers. Odds on the straight LA win are just slightly lower, so I`l go with the straight victory instead of the handicap. My tip is the Clippers to win. Prediction: Sacramento Kings – LA Clippers 100 – 107.
Pick: Clippers
Odds: 1.89 @ 1xBet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 7.12
Event date: 12 January
