The Los Angeles Clippers continue to further their lead over the Kings in the Western Conference playoff race with a six-game cushion and now get to face an Indiana Pacers team coming off a tough loss in Portland last night. The Clippers are 9-3 SU since the all-star break and 6-1 SU at Staples Center in that stretch. They’ll face a gritty Pacers squad that has dropped its last six road games.
The Clippers opened as 5-point favorites with a total of 219.
Pacers vs Clippers Game Center
STANDOUT STATS
- The Clippers are 9-3 SU and 8-4 ATS in 12 games since the all-star break. They rank fifth in points scored per game (116.7) and three-point percentage (38.1) on 27.6 attempts since the break. Their defense has also ranked in the top 10 in opponent field-goal and three-point percentage in that span.
- The Clippers are 7-0 SU and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as favorites.
- The Pacers are one of the best defenses in the NBA. They only allow 103.9 points per game (rated first) but that average goes up to 107.8 in road games. The Pacers are 1-6 SU and ATS in their last seven away games.
- The Pacers on the road allow opposing teams to shoot 46.9 percent from the field (rated 19th) compared to 43.1 percent at home, which is rated first. Opponents also shoot 37.7 percent from behind the arc (rated 27th) in Pacers road games compared to 33.5 percent in their home games (rated third).
- Indiana is 9-3 SU and ATS in the second game of a back-to-back this season.
- The total has gone UNDER in the Pacers’ last seven games (avg. combined score: 204.8) and in their last five games on the road (avg. combined score: 205.4).
My Best Bet for Pacers vs Clippers
Clippers -5
I pretty much made this exact same bet yesterday when I took the Blazers -4 over the Pacers and there’s nothing deterring me from thinking the Clippers can do the same thing Portland did. The Pacers’ defense hasn’t performed nearly as well as it does at home and the offense has looked to be in quicksand as it hasn’t topped 110 points in six straight games, which all have conveniently gone UNDER. I think the Clippers will roll tonight and if you don’t like the spread, the UNDER could be a decent alternative since it’s been a lock in Pacers games lately.
