The Los Angeles Clippers (42-19) are in second place in the Western Conference, 5 ½ games behind the Los Angeles Lakers. They carry a five-game winning streak into Houston on Thursday night as they face the Rockets (39-21). Houston is in fourth place in the West, 2 ½ games behind the Clippers and 1 ½ games behind the Denver Nuggets. Houston has won seven of ten but lost their last time out. James Harden’s shooting has been spotty lately, which has left Russell Westbrook to carry a lot of the load. Westbrook is certainly used to that after his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but can the Rockets fend off the Clippers? Check out our sports betting preview of this Western Conference clash. Let’s see how the NBA odds will be for the Clippers vs Rockets.
Clippers vs Rockets 2020 NBA Game Preview & Betting Odds
- When: Thursday, March 5, 2020, 8:00 pm ET
- Where: Toyota Center, Houston
- TV: TNT
- Radio: KLAC 570 AM Los Angeles / KBME 790 AM Houston
- Live Stream: fuboTV
- NBA Odds: Houston -1 / O/U 236.5
Why should you bet on the Clippers?
The Clippers’ five-game winning streak has come against Memphis, Phoenix, Denver (by 33 points), Philadelphia and Oklahoma City. They took down the Thunder on the road, 109-94, on Tuesday night, sending coach Doc Rivers into twelfth place in NBA history with 936 coaching wins. The Clippers limited the Thunder to just 42 percent shooting from the floor.
In the win, Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 25 points, and Paul George (formerly a member of the Thunder) and Montrezl Harrell chipped in 16 points apiece. The Clippers went into the locker room up a dozen at halftime, pushing that lead to 19 points at the end of the third quarter, and the Thunder never really threatened in the fourth. A combination of solid defense and big baskets at key times helped the Clippers control the momentum. If they can play like they have been playing during this winning streak, they have an excellent shot of making their streak go to six in a row.
Why should you put your money on Houston?
A little bit of road weariness caught up with the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night, as their six-game winning streak came to an end in New York. R.J. Barrett had a left-handed layup in the waning seconds to push the Knicks past the Rockets, 125-123. The game showed some of the weaknesses that exist in Houston’s small-ball philosophy. Houston does not play with a traditional center right now, and the Knicks feasted in the paint, outscoring the Rockets 64-36 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 65-34.
In the loss, Houston got 35 points and eight assists from James Harden and 24 points and nine boards from Russell Westbrook. However, Westbrook had an opportunity to tie the game with a jumper near the end of regulation but clanked it, leaving the Knocks to claim the win. Houston had expended a lot of energy in their overtime win over Boston on Saturday, and the Rockets’ defense in the first half against the Knicks was casual at best, as the Knicks were able to put up 73 points before the intermission. It didn’t help that Harden started the game 0 for 8 from downtown, giving the Knicks opportunities to open up a lead to start the game. Harden finished the game 3 for 13 from behind the arc, shooting 8 for 22 on the night. Westbrook has given the Rockets 20 or more points in 31 consecutive games now, and Robert Covington and Danuel House Jr each added 20. However, with that big hole to start the game, those points were not enough.
Clippers vs Rockets Final Score Prediction
The Rockets are doing some solid things with their small-ball lineup, but as teams adjust to clog the lane more and more against them, they will have to find other ways to score — and other ways to get rebounds. The Clippers have the size inside to win the paint battle and the scorers to do damage against the Houston defense. I predict a final score of Clippers 128, Rockets 124.
