Pro Hoops on Friday night and we will see the Los Angeles Clippers travel to Memphis Tennessee to take on the Memphis Grizzlies. The game is scheduled for an 8:05 pm (Eastern) start time and will be televised on NBATv. Currently the Odds for the game have Houston favored by 3 points while the total sits at 181.5.
Analysis: The Clippers have been in decent form and are coming into tonight's game off a fourth straight win after taking down the shorthanded Hornets by 96-93 last night. Chris Paul led the way with 17 points and 14 assists, while Blake Griffin led all scorers with 20 points, but it took a 39-point effort in the fourth quarter for the Clippers to snatch the unlikely victory. The Clippers enter as the fourth seed based on their Pacific Division crown. The final score in the win over New Orleans suggests a hard-fought road victory over a team with nothing to lose. In actuality, Los Angeles played some extremely sluggish basketball for the bulk of the game before a phenomenal rally in the fourth. The Clippers somehow managed to score 31 points in the final 6:52 to save themselves from what would've been a damaging defeat. Los Angeles allowed a shorthanded Hornets squad to grab 19 offensive boards and made just 7-of-26 3-pointers.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies have won seven of their last eight and will be looking for their fourth straight win tonight after beating the Rockets by 82-78 last night. In fact, defense has been Memphis' calling card lately, as they've allowed just 84 points in their last eight games. With the win, Memphis improved to 23-17 on the road where they've won four of their last five. In a matchup between Memphis' vaunted defense and Houston's league-leading offense, the Grizzlies were in charge on Friday. They limited the Rockets to 31.1 percent shooting while committing only seven turnovers, while forcing 20 turnovers of their own. If not for a dry spell of over five minutes down the stretch, Memphis would've run away with what ended up being its seventh win in eight games. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph had 15 points apiece for the Grizzlies, whose last home loss came Feb. 5 against Phoenix. Gasol led five players in double figures with 21 points as Memphis won the previous meeting between the teams on March 13 in Los Angeles.
Pick: I will take the Under in this one. This Memphis defense has been stellar all year, but even more so in their last 8 games, holding teams to just 84 points over that stretch. For the year the Grizzlies have allowed just 87.3 ppg on this floor and have held the high flying Clippers to just 92 ppg in the last 2 meetings. The Clippers also know how to play some defense as they allow just 94.8 ppg and have held the Grizzlies to just 87 ppg in the 3 meetings this year. The Clippers can score yes,Memphis last 8 but the Grizzlies cannot as they average just 93.6 ppg at home and have put up just 88.6 ppg in their last 5 overall. Memphis last 7 games have put up no more than 182 points and I just don't expect this one to either. This is a huge game for both teams as far as playoffs seeding and the big games do trend to the under. Look for this one in the mid 170's
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