NBA FREE Pick: 577 LA Clippers @ 578 Houston Rockets
Rating: 2 Units – Regular Play
Pick: 577 LA Clippers (+9.5)
Price: -110 / 1.91 on Circa Sports
Write Up:
Despite all the struggles, I expect the Clippers to be a tough matchup for the Rockets tonight.
LAC’s biggest weakness defensively is related to their lack of speed: they struggle w/ transition defense and covering the PNR against skilled Point Guards. The good news for them is that the Rockets are playing primarily without a traditional Point Guard, and their transition offense is just ranked #24 in volume % (via cleaningtheglass), as they are more a half-court offensive team.
Also, the Clippers have been a top 10 team in the league (L30 days) in defensive rebounding and avoiding sending their opponents to the FT line. These are 2 areas where HOU is ranked #1 and #10, so the Clippers defense is equipped to be decent in this matchup.
On the other hand, I expect LAC to hunt Sengun in the PNR with Harden; Bogdan Bogdanovic is finally healthy and a quality ball handler coming off the bench.