Clippers Look To Bounce Back, Visit Mavs
Doc Rivers’ Clippers have struggled on the road this season. Can they win in Dallas on Thursday?
The Los Angeles Clippers will look to rebound from Wednesday night’s disappointing loss in New Orleans with a trip to Texas to face the Dallas Mavericks.
Thursday’s tip-off at American Airlines Center is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
The Clippers (50-22, 19-17 road) began a five-game road trip Wednesday night on the wrong end of the score line in the Big Easy.
Up against the New Orleans Pelicans, one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference right now, poor shooting saw Doc Rivers’ side fall 98-96 in a tough game.
Despite making 13-of-30 from beyond the arc, the Clippers shot just 41.3 percent from the field as a whole, with Chris Paul going a woeful 0-for-12 and scoring just two points from the free throw line.
In truth, the Pelicans didn’t shoot a whole lot better but a 56-28 advantage in points in the paint combined with some clutch misses from the Los Angeles outfit was just enough for the side to pick up an eighth win in 11 games.
Now the Clippers will look to adjust and get back on the winning track.
Prior to Wednesday’s loss, the Clippers had amassed 17 wins in 20 games, a tally that had seen the side move within striking distance of the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. With the Spurs winning a 15th straight contest on Wednesday, the Clippers are now 5.5 games back of the leaders and three back of the second place Thunder.
If Los Angeles is to make a push for a higher seed in the Western Conference though, it will need to do something about its road form.
Only the Indiana Pacers (33-4) have a better record at home than the Clippers (31-5) but life on the road has been very different for Los Angeles’ red, white and blue side. The Clippers are a mediocre 19-17 on the road, a record that puts them behind six of their potential postseason opponents in the Western Conference.
It’s worth pointing out that one of those wins also came against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center, so the side is actually 18-17 in true road games, if you will.
Rivers, Paul and Blake Griffin can begin to improve that record on Thursday night against the Mavericks, although that may be easier said than done.
Dallas (43-29, 24-12 home) continues to fight for its playoff life. Mired in a battle with the Phoenix Suns and Memphis Grizzlies for the final two playoff berths, the Mavericks must essentially win all the games left on the docket. Any loss between now and April 16 could prove fatal.
The Mavericks played with urgency in Tuesday’s overtime win over Oklahoma City. Dirk Nowitzki rolled back the years with an impressive performance, tallying 32 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
He got a lot of help from Jose Calderon, who missed most of Sunday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets after being popped in the face by Mason Plumlee. Calderon added 22 points and eight assists as the Mavericks took a 128-119 win over the Thunder in the extra frame.
Both will look to keep the momentum rolling against the Clippers.
Dallas has won seven of its last 10 contests and five of its last seven at home. But it was the Clippers that came out on top in both meetings between the sides this year.
The Clippers took a 119-112 victory in their visit to Dallas on January 3, before earning a 129-127 victory at Staples Center on January 15. Both wins saw the Clippers come from behind.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks odds for 03/27/2014
The Clippers opened as the favorite over Dallas when lines were unveiled for Thursday night’s matchup.
Los Angeles has had a lot of success against Dallas in recent years, winning six of the last eight head-to-head matchups. But things haven’t gone quite as well in Big D.
The Mavericks are 11-2 over the last 13 contests when hosting the Clippers, a trend they’ll look to hold on to on Thursday.
The spread opened at 2 but has already slipped to 1 in wake of the Clippers’ surprising loss last night.
Both teams have posted an identical 39-32-1 ATS record this season but the Mavericks have gotten the better of the spread in recent games. Dallas has covered in six of its last 10, while the Clippers have failed to cover in four straight and six of the last nine.
The two sides have each covered the spread once in head-to-head matchups this season.
The total opened at 213 and has already dropped to 211.5 with some sportsbooks.
Dallas (40-32-0) has favored the over this season while the Clippers (35-35-2) have split the over/under evenly.
Both matchups between the sides this season saw the over pay out, but the Clippers’ recent form suggests the under might be the smarter bet. The under has paid out in the Clippers’ last eight games and 11 of the last 12.
The Clippers will host the Mavericks at Staples Center on April 3 to close out the regular season head-to-head series between the two sides.
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