The NBA regular season is winding down and most of the seeding is finalized. Yet, the Los Angeles Clippers will travel to take on the Atlanta Hawks tonight in a cross-conference clash. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised on SportsSouth Network. Currently the odds for this game have the Hawks favored by 2 points with the total sitting at 192.5 points.
Free Analysis: Both teams have already clinched for the playoffs. However, the Clippers are still in a position to wrap up home court in the first round of the post season if they do finish in the fourth overall spot in the Western Conference. The Hawks are in the same position in the East. Atlanta (38-26) has a one-game lead over the Atlantic Division champion Boston Celtics, who are guaranteed the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. The Hawks will be the fifth seed, but if they finish with a better record than the Celtics, they will host the first round. Los Angeles (40-24) needs just one win or a loss by the Memphis Grizzlies to ensure it will begin the playoffs at Staples Center on home court. The Clippers are right there as well for the Pacific Division crown and the third overall seed as well. But they essentially have to win out there and have the Lakers drop their game against the Kings. We know that the Clippers will play their starters and act like this game is important. I think the same thing of the Hawks, who are also looking to get home court advantage. "We want to get the home-court advantage. It's very important to us," Hawks guard Mo Williams said. Atlanta had a three-game win streak snapped with Sunday's 113-112 home loss to the Knicks. The Knicks shot nearly 55 percent for the contest to win that game. They will also be in the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the East. The Hawks' Josh Smith and the Clippers' Blake Griffin are both expected to play a full game and that will help us gauge who to back and whether or not the game will even be worth watching. It's the second time these two teams have played this season, with the first game going to the Clippers in blowout fashion 96-82 back in March.
Free Pick: We like this game to be close as the starters for both teams should play a TON of minutes. We like the Atlanta Hawks because they are at home in this one, but the Clippers are 16-15 away from home this season. The Hawks were a middle of the road team as far as the home court is concerned, going 21-10 this season at Phillips Arena. We're going to take the Hawks in this one but expect the Clippers to have and bring a good effort. In the end, we really like the combination of Josh Smith and Joe Johnson tonight.
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Free Picks: Clippers at Hawks Betting
Clippers are still playing for a title and Hawks are playing lackluster defense while waiting for playoffs plus other factors NBA bettors need to know about Clippers at Hawks (Tuesday, April 24, 2012) from Pregame.com - Including predictions from Bryan Leonard and analysis from host Scott Spreitzer.