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As the NBA playoffs finally get underway, the Los Angeles Clippers will host the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of what is arguably the most anticipated first round series.
The Clippers (51-31, 29-19 home) have been one of the most in form teams in the latter stages of the regular season, winning their last 7 games (and 11 of their last 13), a record which allowed them to sneak past the Utah Jazz for the 4th seed in the Western Conference. LA’s record to end the season was not a fluke – they struggled with injuries to key players for most of the season, but got everybody healthy down the stretch and showed what they can do when at full strength.
Utah (51-31, 22-19 away) has also been in fine form at the end of the regular season, winning 8 out of the last 10, but even so they couldn`t keep up with the pact of the Clippers and ended up losing the 4th seed and home court advantage in this series. One of the better defensive teams in the league, the Jazz will know they have to find ways of stopping Paul and Griffin if they are to have an honest shot at this series.
Bet on Clippers vs Jazz and claim your 100% (100 Eur) bonus at Ohmbet.com now!Team news: The only important absentee for either team will be Raul Neto, a starter for Utah, but not an absolute key piece.
The Clippers might well be the 4th best team in the entire NBA when healthy and the Utah Jazz won`t be too happy facing them in the playoffs, especially after losing home court advantage in this series. Having 4 out of 7 at home could prove crucial in a balanced series, but one in which LA is the better team.
A very important factor to consider is that LA seems to match up very well against Utah. The Clippers won 5 of the last 6 against Utah and 3 of the 4 regular season meetings this season. They were also mostly in control in the one they lost this year, but Utah simply ended up having a historic shooting night from deep in that one (14-21 from three), and you can`t beat that.
Utah’s problems against the Clippers might come from the fact that much of their game is built around their excellent center Rudy Gobert. Sure, they have Hayward as the go to guy, but the offense relies heavily on Gobert’s screens, movement and offensive rebounding. Unfortunately for the Jazz, LA can throw their All Star center DeAndre Jordan at Gobert, limiting his impact. With Gobert and Jordan nullifying eachother, Utah has to find other ways to dominate, while the Clippers don`t rely on Jordan for any kind of offense anyway – having Chris Paul and Blake Griffin for that
Utah is a very solid team and this will be an interesting series, but the Clippers are just better when fully healthy and they are brimming with confidence after snatching that 4th seed from the Jazz. If they limit Gobert, as expected, their superior backcourt should bring it home for them.
At Staples Center, this Clippers side should have too much for an opponent they match up well against. My tip is LA to cover the 5 point spread. Prediction: LA Clippers 110 – Utah Jazz 98.
Pick: Clippers -5
Odds: 1.88 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 7.04
Event date: 16 April
