Los Angeles Clippers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Current Records: Los Angeles 6-4, Oklahoma City 8-2
Having just played yesterday, the Oklahoma City Thunder will get right back to it and host the Los Angeles Clippers at 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday at Paycom Center. Both have allowed few points on average, (the Thunder: 102.9, the Clippers: 106.3) so any points scored will be well earned.
The Clippers are facing the Thunder at the wrong time: the Thunder suffered their first home loss of the season on Sunday and they’re likely out for redemption. They took a 127-116 hit to the loss column at the hands of Golden State. Oklahoma City didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
Meanwhile, the Clippers waltzed into their game on Saturday with three straight wins… but they left with four. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 105-103 win over Toronto. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest victory Los Angeles has posted since April 7th.
Even though they won, the Clippers struggled to work together and finished the game with only 18 assists. That’s the fewest assists they’ve managed all season.
Oklahoma City’s loss ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 8-2. As for Los Angeles, they pushed their record up to 6-4 with the win, which was their third straight at home.
Monday’s matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: The Thunder haven’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 11.7 turnovers per game (they’re ranked fifth in turnovers per game overall). It’s a different story for the Clippers, though, as they’ve been averaging 15.9. Given the Thunder’s sizable advantage in that area, the Clippers will need to find a way to close that gap.
Looking ahead, the Thunder are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 6.5 points. For those looking to play the spread, take note: they are a solid 5-2 against the spread when expected to win.
Oklahoma City is a solid 6.5-point favorite against Los Angeles, according to the latest NBA odds.
The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Thunder as a 9.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 219 points.
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