Suns aim for 4th straight series win over Clips
PHOENIX SUNS (20-22)
at LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (24-17)
Tip-off: Thursday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Los Angeles -6½, Total: 195
The Suns look to continue their recent dominance of the Clippers when they travel to L.A. on Thursday night.
Phoenix has won three straight, SU and ATS, and 12 of 13 SU (9-4 ATS) over the Clippers, including an 81-78 win in the desert two weeks ago. The Clippers have certainly struggled since the All-Star break, going 4-6 SU (5-5 ATS), but there were plenty of positive signs in Wednesday’s 96-82 home win over the Hawks. They broke out of a collective shooting slump, hitting 10-of-20 threes and making better than 50% of their field goals for only the second time in their past 16 games. Can the Clippers cover this large a spread against a surging Suns squad? For the answer, connect to the NBA Weekday Pass for ATS picks covering all the marquee NBA games each day. NBA Pass was a perfect 3-0 ATS on Wednesday.
The Suns did look good on Wednesday, though they only had to dispose of a Jazz team that always struggles on the road. Nash (13.9 PPG on 54.7% FG, 11.1 APG) handed out 16 assists, and the team stayed red-hot from three, hitting 9-of-19 from behind the arc. Perhaps most importantly, PF Channing Frye (10.3 PPG) has gotten back on track. He scored 26, shooting 10-for-18 from the field (5-for-10 threes) in the Jazz win, and scored 18 on 7-for-11 FG (4-for-6 threes) in Monday’s win over Minnesota. But he has to find the range on the road for once. On the year, Frye has hit 39.4% of his threes at home, but only 31.6% on the road. The FoxSheets show a three-star trend siding with the Suns:
Play Against - Home teams (L.A. CLIPPERS) - revenging a straight up loss vs. opponent as a favorite, extremely tired team - playing 9 or more games in 14 days. (35-10 since 1996.) (77.8%, +24 units. Rating = 3*).
In their last meeting, the Clippers were surprisingly ineffective against the Suns’ typically soft defense. Playing on the road for the second night in a row on March 2, they scored just 78 points and shot 36.8% FG and lost despite Phoenix’s awful shooting (35% FG, 62% FT) and a particularly bad night from Nash, who had just six points, six assists and seven turnovers. PF Blake Griffin (21.2 PPG, 11.1 RPG) had one of his worst games of the season in that game, going for 17 points on 6-for-19 shooting.
The good news is that some of the Clippers’ role players finally delivered in Wednesday’s win. PG Chris Paul (19.9 PPG, 8.3 APG) and Griffin had been forced to carry the team of late. SF Caron Butler (12.6 PPG) came into Wednesday averaging 6.9 PPG on 27.1% FG since the All-Star break, but had 13 on 5-for-9 shooting against the Hawks. Sixth man Mo Williams (14.3 PPG) had hit 2-of-12 threes in home games on Sunday and Monday, but went for 25 points and made 3-for-5 from behind the arc against Atlanta. The FoxSheets show a two-star trend expecting the Clippers to prevail:
Play On - Favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points (L.A. CLIPPERS) - after being beaten by the spread by 18 or more points total in their last three games against opponent after going over the total by 30 or more points total in their last three games. (54-25 over the last 5 seasons.) (68.4%, +26.5 units. Rating = 2*).
PHOENIX SUNS (20-22)
at LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (24-17)
Tip-off: Thursday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Los Angeles -6½, Total: 195
The Suns look to continue their recent dominance of the Clippers when they travel to L.A. on Thursday night.
Phoenix has won three straight, SU and ATS, and 12 of 13 SU (9-4 ATS) over the Clippers, including an 81-78 win in the desert two weeks ago. The Clippers have certainly struggled since the All-Star break, going 4-6 SU (5-5 ATS), but there were plenty of positive signs in Wednesday’s 96-82 home win over the Hawks. They broke out of a collective shooting slump, hitting 10-of-20 threes and making better than 50% of their field goals for only the second time in their past 16 games. Can the Clippers cover this large a spread against a surging Suns squad? For the answer, connect to the NBA Weekday Pass for ATS picks covering all the marquee NBA games each day. NBA Pass was a perfect 3-0 ATS on Wednesday.
The Suns did look good on Wednesday, though they only had to dispose of a Jazz team that always struggles on the road. Nash (13.9 PPG on 54.7% FG, 11.1 APG) handed out 16 assists, and the team stayed red-hot from three, hitting 9-of-19 from behind the arc. Perhaps most importantly, PF Channing Frye (10.3 PPG) has gotten back on track. He scored 26, shooting 10-for-18 from the field (5-for-10 threes) in the Jazz win, and scored 18 on 7-for-11 FG (4-for-6 threes) in Monday’s win over Minnesota. But he has to find the range on the road for once. On the year, Frye has hit 39.4% of his threes at home, but only 31.6% on the road. The FoxSheets show a three-star trend siding with the Suns:
Play Against - Home teams (L.A. CLIPPERS) - revenging a straight up loss vs. opponent as a favorite, extremely tired team - playing 9 or more games in 14 days. (35-10 since 1996.) (77.8%, +24 units. Rating = 3*).
In their last meeting, the Clippers were surprisingly ineffective against the Suns’ typically soft defense. Playing on the road for the second night in a row on March 2, they scored just 78 points and shot 36.8% FG and lost despite Phoenix’s awful shooting (35% FG, 62% FT) and a particularly bad night from Nash, who had just six points, six assists and seven turnovers. PF Blake Griffin (21.2 PPG, 11.1 RPG) had one of his worst games of the season in that game, going for 17 points on 6-for-19 shooting.
The good news is that some of the Clippers’ role players finally delivered in Wednesday’s win. PG Chris Paul (19.9 PPG, 8.3 APG) and Griffin had been forced to carry the team of late. SF Caron Butler (12.6 PPG) came into Wednesday averaging 6.9 PPG on 27.1% FG since the All-Star break, but had 13 on 5-for-9 shooting against the Hawks. Sixth man Mo Williams (14.3 PPG) had hit 2-of-12 threes in home games on Sunday and Monday, but went for 25 points and made 3-for-5 from behind the arc against Atlanta. The FoxSheets show a two-star trend expecting the Clippers to prevail:
Play On - Favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points (L.A. CLIPPERS) - after being beaten by the spread by 18 or more points total in their last three games against opponent after going over the total by 30 or more points total in their last three games. (54-25 over the last 5 seasons.) (68.4%, +26.5 units. Rating = 2*).
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