LA Clippers vs OKC Thunder NBA Betting Guide

Posted by Henry Watkins on Tuesday,March 8, 2016 11:53, EDT in

Barring some sort of major miracle, the top 4 teams in the Western Conference look to be pretty much set in stone. No-one is catching the Warriors and Spurs at the top, and the Oklahoma City Thunder have a lead in their division that is insurmountable, which makes them a lock for the #3 seed. The LA Clippers are in 4th right now, and find themselves 3.5 games up on Memphis. That is a lead that would appear to be safe given how consistent the Clippers have been for the majority of the season. They may end up losing a little ground on Wednesday, though, as they have a very tough trip to OKC to take care of. The Thunder have been very good at home this season, but have not been at their best as of late in the betting odds for NBA. There may well be a chance to make some money with the visiting Clippers in this one.

LA Clippers vs OKC Thunder NBA Betting Guide & Game Info

When: Wednesday, March 9 at 9:30 PM EST
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, OKC
TV: ESPN
Radio: KFWB and WWLS
Live Stream: NBA.com
NBA Odds:

Why Bet on the LA Clippers

Just how well the Clippers (41-21) have played since losing Blake Griffin to a self-sustained broken hand is a testament to how good the bench is on this team. The Clippers have gone a very impressive 24-8 without Griffin in the fold, and you have to believe that they can get better when he returns, which will reportedly be very soon. A big part of the success of this tea, has been how well they have played on the road, as their 20-10 record away from home is among the best in the NBA. They played OKC twice on the road last season, and came away with the split. The fact that these two have split both games played this season gives you an idea of just how similar they are to one another. The LA Clippers are averaging 104.9 PPG, and are giving up 100.1 PPG.

Why Bet on the OKC Thunder

If we are going to talk about how good the Clippers have been on the road this season, we also have to talk about how well Oklahoma City (43-20) have played at home. They are 25-8 on home court this season, and they will be delighted to get back there after a less than impressive road trip where they went just 2-2. The losses are actually starting to pile up a little for the Thunder, as they have now lost 6 of their last 9 games overall. There appears to be some genuine concern about this recent run, simply because every single player on this team knows that they are going to have to be at their very best to be the team that represents the West in the NBA Final. OKC are averaging 110.0 PPG, and are giving up 103.2 PPG.

Expert Betting Pick and Final Score Prediction

Both of these teams know how to score, which means this should be a fun one to watch. Like I said earlier, there is little to separate these two teams, and I think we will see a close one. I’m going with the minor upset here, and a Clippers win on the road.

LA Clippers 105 Oklahoma City Thunder 104