NBA Picks – Surprising Teams Meet As Clippers Host Thunder

Thunder (+2½) at Clippers (-2½)

(O/U) 185½
Tonight 10:30 PM ET

The Oklahoma City Thunder (3-3 SU, 4-2 ATS, 2-4 O/U) and L.A. Clippers (3-5 SU, 3-5 ATS, 3-5 O/U) have both gotten off to respectable starts this season while building their mostly young ballclubs for future success.

The two Western Conference teams will square off at the Staples Center tonight at 10:30 PM ET as they both look to bounce back from losses in their last contests.

The Thunder have lost four of its last five while the Clippers have won three of its last four.

However, the Clippers will be without explosive second-year shooting guard Eric Gordon for at least 10 days with a sore left groin.

Here is a look at the key trends for tonight’s matchup

• Oklahoma City is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following a S.U. loss.
• Clippers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
• Oklahoma City is Thunder are 2-8 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
• Road team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

What the Thunder Need To Do To Win
If Oklahoma City can continue playing the type of defense they have nearly all season long, they’ll win a bunch of ballgames and shock some teams like they did in their 102-74 win over Orlando on Sunday.

Oklahoma City is ranked seventh in points allowed (90.9) and has not lost a single game by double digits while only allowing more than 100 points in three games this season.

What the Thunder likely need is less shooting from team leader Kevin Durant despite the fact that he is averaging 26.6 points per game this season. KD is shooting a poor 41.3 percent from the field, a dismal number that tells me he needs better quality shots, not quantity.

With Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green averaging 16.9 and 15.9 points per game respectively, while both shooting over 45 percent from the field, I think the Thunder would be better served to spread out the trio’s shot attempts more evenly. Durant is taking a whopping 21 shot attempts per game and making just less than nine of them (8.9)) while Westbrook and Green average 13.9 and 12.6 shot attempts per night respectively.

What the Clippers Need To Do To Win
The Clippers need to play better defense as they are averaging a respectable 98.6 points per game but allowing 101.8 points per contest (16th). Los Angeles has played much better since inserting team scoring leader Kris Kaman (21.9 ppg) into the starting lineup and will have to find a way to make up for the loss of Gordon who was averaging 18.9 points per game.

Veteran point guard Baron Davis also needs to get his act together, averaging just 13.1 points per game on a pitiful 39.5 percent shooting mark from the field.

Analysis: I like the Oklahoma City Thunder to win this contest and cover the spread for BetUS sports betting members, led by their fine defense and the Clippers’ lack of offensive players that can score the ball consistently with Gordon out.

The Thunder should be able to score fairly easily and cover the NBA point spread with room to spare tonight with the Clippers not being very sound on defense – or very selfless on offense.