LA Clippers host Chris Paul and Hornets
Monday, November 9, 2009
By: "Reload" Joe Freda | reload.mysbrforum.com
After starting the season with four losses in a row, the LA Clippers have put together a three-game win streak and it will be on the line Monday night when New Orleans visits the Staples Center. Early action has backed the Hornets pushing the Clippers from being a slight favorite to possibly being a home dog here. Watch the spread keep moving and jump in to back Los Angeles at the best number.
The Hornets come into tonight off a 104-88 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers last night and many gamblers out there will feel like they cannot leave LA without at least taking one game here in a back-to-back spot. While the Clippers will be a drop in class compared to the Lakers, I feel the Hornets have had their share of problems this year as their 2-5 record speaks for itself.
Yes, it is hard to believe the LA Clippers will be hosting an opponent with a worse record than them, but that is the case and I feel the bookmakers are overvaluing the Hornets while undervaluing the Clippers at the same time. If you take a closer look at the two victories that the Hornets pulled off this season, it is further proof that they are in need of help despite having a top star like Chris Paul.
One win came against the Dallas Mavericks at home in overtime as they visited New Orleans in a back to back spot after a grueling come from behind win at home the night before against the Utah Jazz. The Hornets were not getting the Mavericks at their best and still needing overtime to beat them was not impressive.
Other than that victory, the only other “W” in the win column for the Hornets came in their first home game of the season against the Sacramento Kings who started out the season as the NBA’s worst team on paper. Even then, the Hornets needed a big fourth quarter to come from behind and squeak out a five point win.
Having yet to win a road game this season, the Hornets must have had their hopes up last night for their first win away from home against the Lakers as both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol were not to be found. Still though, 28 points from Kobe Bryant and good defense by LA resulted in another loss. The Hornets have given up an average of over 105 points a game this season and it will not get any easier in a back to back spot that could find their defense even more soft and unmotivated than usual.
Back-to-back spots like this remind me of Jeff Van Gundy’s comments on TNT once talking about what it was like when he coached. He said that the second end of a back-to-back was not a problem as long as you faced a team you were up for playing.
As he put it last year, "Don’t give a coach the Oklahoma City Thunder in that second game." Although the Thunder are off to a better start this season, it is easy to see Van Gundy’s point and it applies here with this matchup tonight.
Even with the unusual case of no traveling being needed for a back to back spot like this, staying in LA for another day is the last thing any team needs after being crushed by the Lakers. The Clippers are starting to become more dangerous than when they began the season and like their last victory when the Memphis Grizzlies were in the same spot of facing the Lakers the night before, it should be another situation giving them a big edge.
The Clippers have quietly been one of the league’s top three shooting teams this season hitting buckets at a clip of 48.5%. Center Chris Kaman has put up an average of 23 points per game and shot 58% this season which puts him right up there with other NBA top performers this year. He will be able to give Emeka Okafor all he can handle up the middle tonight.
Baron Davis has averaged over seven assists per game putting him in the league’s Top 10, as well as gets his share of steals for some fast break points. Against a sub-par defense like the Hornets, there is no telling what Davis could do tonight and we could see another breakout game like the 25 points he put up against his former team Golden State.
Marcus Camby has also been right among the Top 5 shot blockers in the league and one of the main reasons the Clippers defense has only allowed 44% shooting from the field and under 30% from beyond the three point line. I would count on the Clippers defense to show up tonight and shut down the Hornets just like the Lakers did last night.
The Clippers defense also held the Golden State Warriors to only 90 points when meeting them two games ago which is well below any other team has allowed against them this year. They also held the Dallas Mavericks to their second lowest scoring total of the year of 93 points despite losing to them.
The line opened for this game at Bookmaker favoring the Clippers by 1½ points. It has since gone down to pick ’em at most sportsbooks with some still favoring the Clippers by a point. As more sportsbooks put this game on the board, I feel even more action will be on the Hornets until tip time. Although we know Chris Paul is always capable of a lot, he is the only one on the Hornets making any kind of highlight reel this season. I would rather go with the team that has strung together three wins in a row using different parts of their roster rather than relying on one star, and has also put up their two highest point totals of the season in their two most recent games.
Monday Night Football may get the most attention from everyone tonight, but the NBA can be where the real money is made each week. Keep an eye on a line service like SBRodds.com for the best number, and take the LA Clippers tonight after getting your Monday reloads in.
Monday, November 9, 2009
By: "Reload" Joe Freda | reload.mysbrforum.com
After starting the season with four losses in a row, the LA Clippers have put together a three-game win streak and it will be on the line Monday night when New Orleans visits the Staples Center. Early action has backed the Hornets pushing the Clippers from being a slight favorite to possibly being a home dog here. Watch the spread keep moving and jump in to back Los Angeles at the best number.
The Hornets come into tonight off a 104-88 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers last night and many gamblers out there will feel like they cannot leave LA without at least taking one game here in a back-to-back spot. While the Clippers will be a drop in class compared to the Lakers, I feel the Hornets have had their share of problems this year as their 2-5 record speaks for itself.
Yes, it is hard to believe the LA Clippers will be hosting an opponent with a worse record than them, but that is the case and I feel the bookmakers are overvaluing the Hornets while undervaluing the Clippers at the same time. If you take a closer look at the two victories that the Hornets pulled off this season, it is further proof that they are in need of help despite having a top star like Chris Paul.
One win came against the Dallas Mavericks at home in overtime as they visited New Orleans in a back to back spot after a grueling come from behind win at home the night before against the Utah Jazz. The Hornets were not getting the Mavericks at their best and still needing overtime to beat them was not impressive.
Other than that victory, the only other “W” in the win column for the Hornets came in their first home game of the season against the Sacramento Kings who started out the season as the NBA’s worst team on paper. Even then, the Hornets needed a big fourth quarter to come from behind and squeak out a five point win.
Having yet to win a road game this season, the Hornets must have had their hopes up last night for their first win away from home against the Lakers as both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol were not to be found. Still though, 28 points from Kobe Bryant and good defense by LA resulted in another loss. The Hornets have given up an average of over 105 points a game this season and it will not get any easier in a back to back spot that could find their defense even more soft and unmotivated than usual.
Back-to-back spots like this remind me of Jeff Van Gundy’s comments on TNT once talking about what it was like when he coached. He said that the second end of a back-to-back was not a problem as long as you faced a team you were up for playing.
As he put it last year, "Don’t give a coach the Oklahoma City Thunder in that second game." Although the Thunder are off to a better start this season, it is easy to see Van Gundy’s point and it applies here with this matchup tonight.
Even with the unusual case of no traveling being needed for a back to back spot like this, staying in LA for another day is the last thing any team needs after being crushed by the Lakers. The Clippers are starting to become more dangerous than when they began the season and like their last victory when the Memphis Grizzlies were in the same spot of facing the Lakers the night before, it should be another situation giving them a big edge.
The Clippers have quietly been one of the league’s top three shooting teams this season hitting buckets at a clip of 48.5%. Center Chris Kaman has put up an average of 23 points per game and shot 58% this season which puts him right up there with other NBA top performers this year. He will be able to give Emeka Okafor all he can handle up the middle tonight.
Baron Davis has averaged over seven assists per game putting him in the league’s Top 10, as well as gets his share of steals for some fast break points. Against a sub-par defense like the Hornets, there is no telling what Davis could do tonight and we could see another breakout game like the 25 points he put up against his former team Golden State.
Marcus Camby has also been right among the Top 5 shot blockers in the league and one of the main reasons the Clippers defense has only allowed 44% shooting from the field and under 30% from beyond the three point line. I would count on the Clippers defense to show up tonight and shut down the Hornets just like the Lakers did last night.
The Clippers defense also held the Golden State Warriors to only 90 points when meeting them two games ago which is well below any other team has allowed against them this year. They also held the Dallas Mavericks to their second lowest scoring total of the year of 93 points despite losing to them.
The line opened for this game at Bookmaker favoring the Clippers by 1½ points. It has since gone down to pick ’em at most sportsbooks with some still favoring the Clippers by a point. As more sportsbooks put this game on the board, I feel even more action will be on the Hornets until tip time. Although we know Chris Paul is always capable of a lot, he is the only one on the Hornets making any kind of highlight reel this season. I would rather go with the team that has strung together three wins in a row using different parts of their roster rather than relying on one star, and has also put up their two highest point totals of the season in their two most recent games.
Monday Night Football may get the most attention from everyone tonight, but the NBA can be where the real money is made each week. Keep an eye on a line service like SBRodds.com for the best number, and take the LA Clippers tonight after getting your Monday reloads in.