LA Clippers/San Antonio Spurs NBA Preview Friday 3-9-12
The Los Angeles Clippers are finding things on the road a little more difficult of late, which has contributed to their Pacific Division lead shrinking. The San Antonio Spurs have been dominant at home, which has helped them vault back among the elite teams in the NBA. One of the up-and-coming teams in the Western Conference will look to break through and be reckoned with against one of the longtime standard-bearers in the conference when the Clippers visit the Spurs Friday night. This will be the third and final meeting of the regular season, with the Spurs winning the first two (115-90 at home Dec. 28, 103-100 in OT Feb. 18 in L.A.). Here s a look at what to expect from both teams, plus a final score prediction to help you make your NBA picks tonight.
Los Angeles Clippers (22-15) @ San Antonio Spurs (26-12), 8:30 p.m. ET
The Clippers, on the one hand, have been very competitive away from home, with their 10-10 mark actually rating as the fourth-best mark in the West. However, the team has lost three of its last four away from home, including Wednesday s 101-100 loss at lowly New Jersey and a 95-94 defeat at Minnesota Monday. The Clips are a highlight reel waiting to happen with the dynamic duo of Blake Griffin (21.4 ppg, 11.2 rpg) and Chris Paul (19.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg), and these two thrive in an up-tempo game, as evidence by the team ranking sixth in the league in scoring (97.8 ppg). But the team has had difficulty closing out games this year, with defensive breakdowns at key points leading to seven losses by five points or less. The Clips do rank 17th in the NBA in points allowed (95.7 ppg), which is actually decent for an up-tempo team. Griffin and Paul will usually get theirs, but they need a consistent third scorer to win games and the best candidates are Mo Williams (13.5 ppg) and Caron Butler (13.0 ppg), though both have struggled of late. If one has a good game, the Clips are usually in good shape.
The Spurs are an even tougher matchup for the Clips than in past years in that this team has been actually more effective in a high-tempo game with stretches of their trademark good defense when it matters. The Spurs are 15-3 at home this year, but two of the losses have come during this current seven-game homestand 96-98 vs. Chicago and 99-94 vs. Denver. Most recently, San Antonio outran the Knicks, 118-105, Wednesday night. After winning 11 straight games, the Spurs are just 3-3 since, with their success coming when they score 100 points and failing to reach 100 in their losses. The Spurs rank fourth in the NBA in scoring (9.4 ppg) and are a competitive 14th defensively (95.3 ppg). Tony Parker (19.5 ppg, 7.9 apg) and Tim Duncan (14.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg) have been the only consistent threats offensively, but the recent return of Manu Ginobili (12.2 ppg in 11 games) may just be the elixir the Spurs need to get on another streak.
According to the latest NBA odds, San Antonio is favored by 5 points, while the total sits at 193.5 points. The Spurs were already a matchup problem for the Clippers, but now that San Antonio seems to invite an up-tempo game, they re even more difficult to contain. The Spurs scored 100-plus I the first two meetings with the Clips, and considering the two teams track records, there is reason to believe that the Spurs will win again if they get the pace up into triple-figures. That will work against the Clips mentality, and we question whether Los Angeles can slow down the tempo just enough to keep the game in the 90s. If Williams or Butler is on, the Clips will have a good counter to the Spurs Big Three of Parker, Duncan and Ginobili. However, the Spurs vase experience advantage and their ability to play opportunistic defense should be enough to lead the Spurs to victory.
Final Score Prediction: Spurs 99, Clippers 93
