Los Angeles vs Atlanta NBA Hoops Handicapping
The Clippers four-game winning streak ended on Sunday at the Staples Center, while the Hawks hope to get things turned around after losing four of its last five heading into Monday’s contest in San Antonio. [ad-4468020]
Date/Time: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013
Venue:
Broadcast:
Spread: Clippers -3.5
Over/Under: 203
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Atlanta will hope that one day’s rest and home court advantage will be just what they need to beat Los Angeles on Wednesday, along with the possible return of one of the game’s most prolific three-points shooters.
The Clippers (12-6) lost to the red-hot visiting Indiana Pacers 105-100, their last time out, in a game which they trailed early and never recovered.
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Indiana cruised to its seventh straight victory to improve their NBA-best record to 16-1.
The Pacers grabbed 17 offensive boards in the win, while notching a 50-41 rebounding advantage over LA, who was lead by Jamal Crawford. Crawford scored 20 points and Chris Pau, added 17 points and 10 assists, while Blake Griffin contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles.
The loss dropped LA to 8-2 at home, while they are 4-4 away from Staples.
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The Clippers did make a comeback, however, in the final quarter, trailing by four after DeAndre Jordan’s slam dunk. But three hawks free throws in the waning seconds, put the game out of reach for the final time.
Meanwhile, the Hawks (9-9) are having the same issue with falling way behind of late, and against the Washington Wizards, were unable to mount a comeback that could overcome a deficit that had grown as large as 18 points at one point during the contest.
Jeff Teague leads Atlanta, averaging 17.3 points but has struggled recently on the road, doing a bit better at home, where the Hawks are 4-4 on the season.
And while the Hawks have topped 100 points just once in their last eight games, after eclipsing the mark in nine of their first 10 outings, Teague’s 8.1 assists per game rank among the league’s top 10.
Matt’s Prediction:
The Hawks will once again be without shooting guard Kyle Korver, who has missed three straight games with a bruised rib and is listed as day-to-day.
Korver is a missing key component to the Hawks offense, which means if can make Wednesday’s line up, it could be the difference of a win or loss.
He has pulled to within one game of Dana Barros’ NBA record of consecutive games (89) with at least one 3-pointer — something Atlanta needs to get ahead early and hang on.
Nevertheless, in the meantime, everything is clicking for LA, and with a few days rest and a healthy lineup, win this one the road.
Clippers 104, Hawks 98
