NBA Picks - Los Angeles Clippers at Houston Rockets

The Los Angeles Clippers (3-14 SU, 4-12 ATS), despite key player additions, still can't seem to get out of their own way. On Wednesday night they will take on the defensive-minded Houston Rockets (11-7 SU, 9-9 ATS) in NBA pro basketball sports betting action, slated to tip off at 8:30 PM ET at the Toyota Center in Houston,

BetUS Sportsbook NBA Basketball Odds: HOUSTON -11.5, Total 187.5

Here are some of the NBA pro basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* LA has lost five of its last six games SU

* LA has lost 21 of its last 24 games SU

* LA has covered six of its last 24 games

* LA has lost nine of its last ten road games SU

* LA has covered three of its last four road games

* HOU has won and covered four of its last six games SU

* HOU has played five of its last six games OVER the total

* HOU has covered two of its last seven home games

* HOU has played 12 of its last 14 home games UNDER the total

Also....

* HOU has won the last six meetings SU

* HOU has covered the last five meetings

* Four of the last five meetings have gone UNDER the total

* LA has covered four of the last five meetings as the road team

* Four of the last five meetings in Houston have gone OVER the total

* HOU has had the shooting edge in five of the last six meetings

* HOU has had the rebounding edge in each of the last five meetings

* HOU has made more three-pointers in seven of the last eight meetings

It may be impossible to determine how much damage was done to the Clippers' psyche with their fourth-quarter collapse on Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks. They were leading 81-68 going into the final period, but were outscored by a 32-17 margin to throw away victory. Dallas did not lead in the game until there were fifty seconds left. That loss dropped the Clippers into a spot where only the Oklahoma City Thunder has a worse record in the Western Conference.

This is quite obviously a disappointment for a team that mad what it though would be game-changing additions in the off-season. After losing Elton Brand, they picked up forward Marcus Camby and point guard Baron Davis. And just recently they grabbed Zach Randolph in a trade with the Knicks. But they still can not win, yet Mike Dunleavy keeps getting praised by NBA "insiders" for what a good coach he is. Go figure.

Both Houston and Los Angeles are shooting 42.9% from the field. But the other fundamentals, naturally, are pretty tough for the Clippers. They make only 73% of their free throws. They turn it over 14.5 times a game. They are at minus-4.5 rebounds per game. They are yielding almost 46% shooting.

Houston has a big edge defensively, of course. The Rockets, in a sense, were built for defense, and are holding opponents to just 43.1% shooting. They're also yielding just 86.3 points a game at home, which is the best figure in the league. But Houston is going to be challenged on the offensive end, because Tracy McGrady is taking himself out of action for at least a few weeks to let his ailing left knee get a rest. At the same time, Shane Battier is back in action, which means the team will be a little bit better at holding down opponents.