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The Los Angeles Clippers will host the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night in the NBA.
The Clippers (23-16, 13-6 home) are having a very good year so far, sitting on the 4th place in the mega strong Western Conference after almost half a season. While this placement does come as a bit of a surprise, the Clippers were always going to have a solid season. They might not have all stars in their rosters, but they have quite a few excellent players and one of the best benches in the NBA. The hosts are also in very good form, winning 6 of their last 9, with the three losses coming on the road against top teams (Sixers, Warriors, Spurs).
The Hornets (19-20, 5-12 away) are currently eight in the Eastern Conference, and they are likely to be involved in a season long dogfight to make the playoffs. The Hornets are not in great form, losing 5 of their last 8 games, and they didn`t look very good in their last few matches. The Hornets are coming after a win in Phoenix on Sunday, but they barely beat one of the worst teams in the league, which also played most of the game without its best player, Booker.
Bet on Clippers vs. Hornets and claim your 100% (120 Euro) freebet at LSbet now!Team news: The Clippers continue to miss Mbah a Moute, and Teodosic is a doubt (but he fell out of favor with coach Rivers anyway, for some strange reason). The Hornets will miss Zeller, while Lamb is questionable.
This Clippers side has been consistent all season, rarely losing games as a favorite (something which happened last year as well). They have a very deep roster, they do not depend on one man to carry the load, so that is why they don`t have too many ups and downs.
The Hornets on the other side are honestly not that good, relying almost entirely on Kemba Walker to get them over the line. They are fighting for the playoffs in the weak East, but in the West they would most likely be the second worst team in the entire conference.
In fact, the Hornets struggled mightily against the West this season, losing 8 games out of 10 against Western Conference teams. They also have a poor road record, with 5 wins and 12 losses.
In these circumstances you would expect the Clippers to deliver here, and the opening odds actually seem rather high on the hosts at 1.40 or so. That`s not new, as LA has often been underrated this season – proof of that being that the Clippers are the third best ATS team in the league, with a 59% rate of covering the point spread.
The Clippers are simply a better team in better form, and given their consistency against inferior opposition there are plenty of reasons to trust them in this clash.
My tip will be LA to win straight up. The Clippers are often involved in close games so I`m choosing not to risk the handicap here, instead I will invest 10 units on the simple win. Prediction: LA Clippers – Charlotte Hornets 117 – 110.
Pick: Clippers
Odds: 1.41 @ 22Bet
Stake: 10
Possible profit: 4.10
Event date: 9 January
