NBA Thursday: Greg Frank picks DEE-Fense in Rockets vs Clippers
2-2 Wednesday, 48-51-1 overall.
Rockets (+4.5) @ Clippers (236)
Pick: Under 236
The Rockets and Clippers meet for the third time in two months tonight in Los Angeles. The two teams have split the first two meetings and after tonight will play just one more time before the playoffs. We could certainly see these teams meet in May with the stakes much higher, but spots like this we think often bring up better efforts defensively. For 65-70 games in the regular season, it’s very fair to wonder how much effort is given on that end of the floor. Sometimes, teams like the Rockets and Clippers have enough talent to simply outscore inferior competition. But we think this is one of those regular season games where both teams treat it like a playoff game. After all, the regular season series is the first tiebreaker and home court advantage if these teams were to meet in the postseason would be nice to have. These two teams played one low-scoring game and one high-scoring game so far this year. However, at 236, this total is just too high to even think about going over. The game could be high-scoring and still land under this number. Given we’re expecting good efforts defensively from both teams, there’s considerable leeway on the under tonight if we’re even close to right. The Rockets turned things up in the second half against San Antonio on Monday when facing a 19-point halftime deficit. The Spurs scored just 35 points in the second half. This served as another reminder that when good teams care in the regular season, they often play better defensively. We’re expecting both teams to care about this one.
WANNA BET NBA BASKETBALL?
In New Jersey: PointsBet.com, Promo code: BETTORS (You can get two risk-free bets up to $1,000 if you qualify.) William Hill NJ (Deposit $50, get $50 cash) RIvers Casino NJ* (First deposit match up to $250)
In Pennsylvania: Rivers Casino PA* (First deposit match up to $250). Only 1x Wager Applies, Playable in PA Only
In most of Europe: William Hill UK; Pinnacle (No UK or Portugal); Asian Odds (No UK or Portugal)
In Asia: Pinnacle/Asian Odds
In parts of South America: Pinnacle/Asian Odds
In parts of Africa: Pinnacle/Asian Odds
*Note: First Deposit Bonus may only be claimed once per person across all Rivers websites
GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER