Friday night in the NBA we will see the Los Angeles Clippers travel to the desert to take on the Phoenix Suns. The game is scheduled for a 10:30 pm tipoff and will be televised live on ESPN. Currently the Clippers are favored by 2.5 points with the total being set at 197 for this game.
Free Analysis: The Pacific Division-leading Clippers aim to halt a long losing streak in the desert when they resume a six-game road trip against the Phoenix Suns. The Clips, who lead the Lakers by one game in the Pacific, have lost eight straight in Phoenix but this is a far different club now that All-Star point guard Chris Paul is running the show. Los Angeles kicked off a six-game road trip with a 108-100 victory at Sacramento on Thursday. Chris Paul had 22 points to lead six players in double figures for the Clippers, who had to be happy about the bench production they received from Mo Williams and Bobby Simmons. Williams was 1 of 12 on 3-point attempts in his last two games, but he connected on four in the fourth quarter to help break the game open. Simmons, who was signed to a 10-day contract Monday, buried three 3-pointers and had 13 points. Paul has averaged 28.3 points per contest on 60.8 percent shooting in his last three games overall and due to his pressence the Clipps are becoming one of the best alley-oop teams in the league, as the Paul-to-Griffin is a common sight -- and Paul said he's been getting easy layups because opponents are so scared he's going to throw a lob pass. Speaking of Griffin he did average 21.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in four games vs. the Suns in his rookie season, while Paul has averaged 24.6 points and 10.9 assists in his last 12 matchups with the Suns, and could give the Clippers a leg up in this one. During their game last night the Clipps were able to build a 19 point 4th quarter lead, which allowed them to rest some players as they head into this tough road stretch, which will see them travel to Houston, Minnesota, New Jersey and San Antonio after this one. In their first game back following the All-Star break, the Suns looked refreshed during Thursday's 104-95 win over Minnesota. Phoenix limited the Timberwolves to 39.5 percent from the field and won its fourth straight when holding an opponent under 100 points. The Suns were playing their first game since Feb. 22, but showed little rust while shooting better than 53 percent, including nearly 61 percent in the third quarter. Grant Hill scored a season-high 20 points in that one as Phoenix pulled away to beat the improved Timberwolves for the ninth straight time. Marcin Gortat added 17 points and Steve Nash had 13 points, 17 assists and eight rebounds in the win. If the Phoenix Suns are going to make a postseason run, they'll need to take advantage of the current favorable portion of their schedule. The All-Star break gave the Suns seven days off and led into a stretch where they would play nine of 11 games at home. This yera the Clippers have gone a solid 6-2 ARTS when playing with zero rest, while the Suns are just 5-5 in the same situation. Phoenix is just 8-9 SU and 7-10 ATS at home, while the Clippers are 9-7 SU and 8-8 ATS on the road this year.
Free Pick: Gonna look to the Clippers here. When teams play on back to back nights, you must look at the younger team, especially when taking on an older team an the Suns are just that as Starters Nash and hill are both in their high 30's, while the average age of the Clippers is 26 yrs. That youth has shown up this year when they are playing on Back to back nights as they have a 6-2 ATS mark in such situations, while the Suns have gone just 5-5 when playing with no rest, but two of those wins were vs Washington and Charlotte and the Clippers are much better than both those teams. Phoenix has taken 8 straight at home vs the Clipps, but they didn't have Chris Paul in those games and his 24.6 ppg and 10.9 apgin his last 12 matchups with the Suns could be the difference maker here. The Clippers are the better team and the younger team here and they should break their nlong losing streak in this building by pulling away in the 4th quarter.
Free Picks: Clippers at Suns Betting
http://PregameVideos.com - Trade rumors surrounding Nash and Clippers in a bad schedule spot plus other factors NBA bettors need to know about Clippers at Suns (Friday, March 2, 2012) from Pregame.com - Including predictions from Scott Spreitzer and analysis from host Marco D'Angelo.