Thunder vs Clippers NBA Handicapping
Allow us to throw some ice water on what has easily been the most successful season in the history of the punch line known as the Los Angeles Clippers.
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Wizards vs Trail Blazers NBA Handicapping
Maybe John Wall should be in the conversation when we start to talk about voting for MVP in the NBA.
Heat vs Warriors NBA Handicapping
Come playoff time all the problems that the Miami Heat are now experiencing may be long forgotten. No one will be worried about motivation, because it’ll be the playoffs and everyone will be “up.”
Raptors vs Nets NBA Handicapping
The Brooklyn Nets are playing like they plan to run the table in 2013.
Bobcats vs Celtics NBA Handicapping
You’d think that on a team piled high with veterans, coach Doc Rivers and front office boss Danny Ainge would know, by now, exactly what they have as the league steams toward the midpoint of the season.
Not quite.
Spurs vs Grizzlies NBA Handicapping
All the pieces are falling into place in Memphis.
The long-suffering Grizzlies have emerged as one of the top teams in the Western Conference, and while it’s difficult to see the team (as presently constructed, anyway) getting past the Thunder or Clippers in a seven-game playoff series, the operating philosophy in Memphis these days is seize the moment.
Knicks vs Pacers NBA Basketball Spread/Handicapping
Life is more than good for the Indiana Pacers these days. Four wins in the last five games, including an 87-77 victory over Miami in their most recent game. Eight wins in the last 10.
Heat vs Trail Blazers NBA Basketball Spread/Handicapping
Has the league figured out a way to beat the Heat? Tuesday night against Indiana the Heat were crushed on the boards and lost by 10.
Heat vs Pacers NBA Handicapping
The Knicks have hit a road bump. The rest of the Eastern Conference? Meh.
So it’s hardly a concern for Miami when the Heat don’t draw rave reviews, especially on the road. Miami is just 7-6 away from South Florida this season, and when the resume includes losses at Detroit and Washington, it’s a pretty good sign that the team has collective attention deficit disorder on occasion. .
Thunder vs Wizards NBA Handicapping
Good thing that the Oklahoma City Thunder make only one trip to D.C. this season. Their presence in the downtown section of the nation’s capital only serves to remind the few remaining basketball fans there of the difference between two franchises that were once pretty much on par.
Lakers vs Clippers NBA Handicapping
There’s still plenty of glitter, but tonight’s Lakers-Clippers strut could have been so much more had these two teams not hit a few icy patches in late December and early January.
Los Angeles Lakers (15-16) at Los Angeles Clippers (25-8)
Friday, Jan. 4
Staples Center, Los Angeles
10:30 p.m. EST
Spread – Clippers -4.5
O/U – 205.5 at SportsBettingOnline.ag
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Had they not run low on gas, the Clippers could be headed into tonight with 19 straight victories and perhaps taking aim at the Lakers’ 1972 NBA record of 33 victories in a row.
Road losses at Denver and Golden State put a small dent in the NBA’s new Lamborghini, however.
The Lakers have had a nice run of their own interrupted. That win over the Knicks on Christmas Day was the 5th straight for Kobe and his cast, but then they couldn’t stay airborne, losing at Denver (those pesky Nuggets!) and later crashing and burning at home against the mediocre 76ers.
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Now both teams will be trying to piece things together as they meet for the second time this season. The Clippers won by 10 way back on Nov. 2 in a game that for the first time indicated that there might be a changing of the guard at Staples Center this season. Chris Paul went off for 18 and 15 in that one, and Jamal Crawford had 21 off the bench for the Clips.
Bryant threw in an angry 40, but the Lakers got next to nothing from its bench, fell behind early and never recovered.
Hard to imagine on a team that has Bryant, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, but the Lakers would not be in the playoff mix if they were to start today.[ad-6571516]
Nobody thinks they’ll be golfing in mid-April, but there are plenty of warning signs, not the least of which is Bryant’s lament that the team is losing because it’s old. It’s hard to fix old.
Maybe Bryant is on to something. Nash is 37, Bryant himself 34 and Pau Gasol is 32. Dwight Howard is only 27 but has been having trouble getting comfortable, and may be holding back to stay healthy as he heads into free agency and a big payday this June.
To get fresh legs into the game, Laker coach Mike D’Antoni is bringing Metta World Peace off the bench and starting 21-year-old Darius Morris at the 2, Bryant moving to the 3.
As for the Clippers, the concern now is paying attention to details on a nightly basis and avoiding mental lapses. There’s no crime in losing on the road to an up-and-coming hungry team like the Warriors, but the new Showtimers need to be ready to play from the opening gun – they fell behind GS in the first period and never recovered.
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For fans in the East, this is one of the few NBA games worth staying up past midnight. Neither team will be mailing this one in, and even Howard should be somewhat focused.
Looking for a game that stays close deep into the fourth period, with a Laker cover.
Spurs vs Knicks NBA Handicapping
Amare Stoudemire has never been shy about telling you exactly how he feels about anything that happens to pop into his mind, so it was hardly a surprise when the Knicks’ veteran big went off on former coach Mike D’Antoni just as he was returning to the lineup in New York.
Timberwolves vs Nuggets NBA Handicapping
What’s happened to the Timberwolves?
Just two weeks ago they were living large and enjoying the spoils of a 14-9 record. Four wins in a row had moved them into second place (behind Oklahoma City) in the Northwest Division, and with Ricky Rubio’s return on the horizon, things were finally looking up for the franchise.
Clippers vs Warriors NBA Handicapping
The air is out of the balloon and the Golden State Warriors won’t get a crack at breaking the Clippers’ long winning streak.
76ers vs Lakers NBA Handicapping
The way the Los Angeles Lakers look at it, 2013 is the second start of the season. So much for 2012 and the bizarre first 30 games, and especially good-bye to that four-game losing streak in early December when LAL fell to 9-14 and everyone was wondering if this might be the end of the line for Kobe Bryant and his backup singers.
Nets vs Spurs NBA Handicapping
Rule No. 1 for firing coaches:
Make sure that when you bring down the guillotine, the new coach taking over has a crappy opponent to face in his first game. He can get his feet wet and the GM or owner will look good.
