Clippers – Rockets

The Los Angeles Clippers will host the Houston Rockets in LA on Monday night / Tuesday morning (European time). The match holds much more importance for LA, who is trying to gain home court advantage in the playoffs.

The Clippers (49-31, 27-12 home) haven`t quite been themselves for much of this season, mostly due to injuries, as their best players (Chris Paul and Blake Griffin) missed over 40 games together. However, right now the Clippers finally have all their guys healthy and the team is clicking at the best possible time. LA won 5 matches in a row in convincing fashion, including a 9 point win in San Antonio two days ago.

Houston (54-26, 25-15 away) is locked for the 3rd seed in the West for some time now, and they haven`t been that great since it became clear they will finish in that position – losing 4 of their last 7 games. At the same time they won 3 out of the last 4, but those victories all came against non-playoff teams. Houston will be on a back to back tonight, having played (and beaten) the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. The Rockets have been the best team in the NBA on back to backs this season, but at this stage of the season it`s getting harder to play in consecutive games.

Bet on Clippers vs Rockets and claim your 100% (100 Eur) freebet at Ohmbet now!

Team news:

LA Clippers are fully healthy and ready to make a final push for the 4th place in the Western Conference.

Houston is expected by most to rest a couple of players. Last night they were without Ariza, Gordon and Nene against Sacramento. It`s unclear if anybody will sit out this time around (and if so, who?), but there`s a high chance for 1, 2 or 3 guys to be rested again, especially with this being a back to back.

The Clippers are currently tied with Utah for the 4th – 5th spots in the West with only two games to go for each team, but own the tiebreaker over them. The two teams will meet eachother in the playoffs and whoever finishes 4th will have home court advantage in that series.

Utah plays has a very tough game Golden State at the same time the Clippers take on the Rockets, so a win tonight for the Clippers could secure them that important 4th seed – as Utah is likely to lose their match. As such, energy should be high in the team and in the crowd.

The Clippers are playing their best basketball of the season right now and really need a win, while Houston is taking it slow lately, rotating players and making sure everybody is rested and healthy for the playoffs.

A fair case can be made that the Clippers are actually a better team than Houston. When healthy, they would be favorites at home in any circumstances against Houston, so their chances look really good considering the current situation.

Even if Houston will not rest anybody (and that is a huge “If”), LA is still the much more motivated side, they are in better form and play at home against a Houston team which is back to back on the road – so that should be enough for a 10+ point win.

My tip is the Clippers to cover the 6 point spread. Both teams usually score a lot, so these 6 points should not be such a big problem for the winning team. Odds are dropping on the bet and the handicap line is moving towards 7 points. Prediction: LA Clippers – Houston Rockets 128 – 114.

Pick: Clippers -6
Odds: 1.91 @ Betsson
Stake: 9
Possible profit: 8.19
Event date: 11 April