NBA: Houston Rockets VS Los Angeles Clippers Pick and Predictions 01/15/2023

Game: 3:10 PM ET,  Sunday, January 15th, 2023

Venue: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California

TV:  NBA League Pass

Rockets: 10-32, 15th place Western Conference

Clippers: 22-22, 7th place Western Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Clippers -9.5, O/U 221.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: Clippers -9.5, O/U 221.5

Fanduel: Point Spread: Clippers -9.5, O/U 221.5

Rockets: PF Kenyon Martin JR, SF Jabari Smith JR, C Alperen Sengun, PG Jalen Green, SG Eric Gordon

Clippers: PF Marcus Morris SR, SF Nicholas Batum, C Ivica Zubac, SG Kawhi Leonard, PG Terence Mann

A Western Conference battle… or scrum?... or whimper between the worst team in the West and in the entire league… and a very average .500 team that was supposed to be much better.  The Houston Rockets are the lowest of the low… and that is very hard in an NBA that also has the Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons… but if the season ended today the Rockets would have the most ping-pong balls!!  Yay!!  I bet their season ticket holders come to the games every night with the hope of seeing a ping pong ball score 40 points and grab 20 rebounds!  The Rockets are not trying to win… but tread cautiously because they are 18-23-1 ATS… not because of good play, but because of large point spreads.  The Los Angeles Clippers were supposed to be better than the middle of the pack… and we have been saying that for 3 straight seasons.  The biggest problem they have is they committed all their money and all their draft assets and gave up Shai Gilgeous Alexander… for the privilege of having two big time all-stars on the roster… One of whom can not stay healthy often and the other of whom is not healthy now.  They have many other quality pieces in the form of above average NBA role players but the constant churning of star in and star out has killed any consistency this team may have developed.  Plus the shelflife of above average NBA role players is short… last year's tough guy PG Reggie Jackson is this season’s disappointment.  The Clippers need to finally decide this trade deadline.. Should they trade Paul George and rebuild with the hope of Kawhi Leonard occasionally playing?  Or should they go “all in” by moving the quality NBA role players in a big deal to land yet one more star?

The Houston Rockets have won only 1 of their last 10 games!  They are on a 9-game losing streak with this game as their best chance for a win in awhile.  Sadly they are also 2-8 ATS.. so they are not even very often competitive.  In their last game they lost to the Sacramento Kings 139-114… It was a xeroxed copy of the game before when they lost to the Sacramento Kings 135-115.  IN the last 10 games the Rockets have lost ATS to a 15 point spread, 2 9.5 point spreads, and a 9 point spread.  You should expect only large point spreads in Rockets games going forward. If they win the NBA draft lottery? they are likely to only keep 3 of their current players into next season… if they do not win the NBA Draft Lottery?.. They are likely to keep only 4 of their current players.  

The Los Angeles Clippers have only won 3 of their last ten games.  They are fortunate to still be at .500 on the season.  They lost their last game 115-103 to the Denver Nuggets and the Nuggets were playing without 2X MVP C Nikola Jokic.  In the loss SG Kawhi Leonard had 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in 38 minutes of play… yet posted the team’s worst +/- number with a -15.  He is their best player but since returning from injury doesn’t seem able to affect many game outcomes.  PG John Wall had 16 points off the bench and SF Norman Powell had 18 points off the bench.  The team shot 47% from the field and 34% from 3-point… but did not seem capable of sustained defense.  

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HOU: 10-32, 18-23-1 ATS, 21-21 O/U, 4-18 in road games.

LAC: 22-22, 21-23 ATS, 17-27 O/U, 12-10 in home games.

The Rockets are 28th in scoring with 109.3 points per game, 4th in rebounds with 46.5 per game, 30th in AST/TO ratio with 1.3 per game, and 18th in blocked shots with 4.5 per game.

The Clippers are 29th in scoring with 109.1 points per game, 12th in rebounds with 44.2 per game, 26th in AST/TO ratio with 1.5, and 19th in blocked shots per game with 4.5.

Our prediction for Sunday, January 15th is…. Clippers 112 Rockets 104

Check the point spread first.  I would endorse a bet on the Clippers if the spread is under 7 points.  Everything after that the Clippers would be unreliable… even against the lowly Rockets. The Rockets have been giving out big time wins ATS for the other team especially lately… But the Clippers stats are sadly actually very close to the Rockets stats… check above under “Offensive Analysis”... They are practically the same team offensively… the only difference is the Clippers have a stronger defense.

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(will update)

Rockets: C Alperen Sengun.  Alperen is a small surprise this season. A Turkish born 6’11 Center who was the 16th pick in the 2021 draft… He has really good stats even though he is earning them on a terrible team.  He will be the first player moved in the event that the Rockets win the Draft Lottery and he will be the first player kept in the event the Rockets do not win the Draft Lottery.

Clippers:  PG/SG/SF Terance Mann.  Terance is a do it all bench player for the Clippers that has been thrust into taking whatever starting position is open depending on if Kawhi is hurt, Paul George is hurt, or if PG Reggie Jackson is buried deep in Tye Lue’s doghouse.

Rockets: Stephen “Babysitter’s Club” Silas

Clippers: Tye “This was supposed to be a great job” Lue