Tuesday night in the NBA I will have a free pick in the game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns, which will take place at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The game has a start time of 10:30 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on TNT. Current Vegas betting odds have the Clippers listed as 10 point favorites, while the total is set at 208.5.
Analysis: The Los Angeles Clippers come in having won 6 in a row, which includes a road win over Portland, 2 wins vs the Lakers and 2 wins vs the Nuggets, plus an 8 point home win over Memphis. The Clippers now have the 3rd seed in the West and have gone 25-15 on the road this year. The Clippers have gone 7-0 ATS in their last 7 road games, but just 10-26 ATS in their last 36 Tuesday games. The Clippers have been a very good offensive team this year, ranking 2nd in scoring (106.6 ppg), 2nd in shooting, 3rd in 3 point shooting and 28th in FT shooting. Defensively the Clippers have been rather average, ranking 16th in points allowed (100.1 ppg), 12th in defensive FG% and 14th in 3 point defense.
The Phoenix Suns have not played well down the stretch at all as they come in having lost 9 of their last 10 games, which means they will be sitting at home for the playoffs. Overall the Suns are 39-42, which includes a 22-18 mark at home. Phoenix has gone 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs the Western Conference, but just 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600. The Suns have been a decent offensive team this year, ranking 11th in scoring (102.4 ppg), 16th in shooting, 22nd in 3 point shooting and 11th in FT shooting. Defensively the Suns have been poor this year, ranking 26th in points allowed (103.2 ppg), 18th in defensive FG% and 19th in 3 point defense.
Pick: Let's look to the Under in this game. The Clippers have been playing very good defense of late as they have allowed just 91.8 ppg in their last 5 games, while the Suns can score right now as they have averaged just 88.4 ppg in their last 9 games. This is a team running out of gas for sure. Defensively the Suns have been playing better of late as they have allowed just 97 ppg in their last 5 games. The Clippers will get their points, but Phoenix will slow them down enough here, while the Phoenix offense will do the rest to keep this one under the total. 105-95 sounds about right for this one
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for NBA Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
Handicapping Tips: Late Season NBA Betting
Teddy Covers and Steve Fezzik from Pregame.com give tips and insight for handicapping the dog days of the NBA season.