The Heat and Clippers are set to do battle on Thursday night, marking the second half of Miami’s back-to-back in Los Angeles. They fell to the Lakers in overtime, losing Jimmy Butler along the way. As for their opponents, here, they have turned a corner and started to show that they can win heavy games with Kawhi Leonard unavailable.
Jimmy or not, the Heat are still very talented. Bam Adebayo had an incredible second half and came away with six steals in a narrow loss in their last game, and they’ll hope to turn it around quickly. The dominant play of Tyler Herro has continued, and he is an early frontrunner to win the sixth man of the year award. He lifts them whenever they seem to need it.
Though his minutes have started low, it is great to see Serge Ibaka back on the court for the Clippers. They really could have used him against Phoenix a year ago in the conference finals, and if he works himself back to 100%, he can make a major difference. Paul George has been absolutely dominant and is surely going to be mentioned all year long in the MVP race.
Between Bam, Herro, George, and Reggie Jackson even, this game will feature a lot of magical plays. Threes will be dropping, so make sure to bet the over.
Betting Odds & Lines
The spread for Thursday night’s game is set at LAC -2.5. The over/under is 214.5 points. The MIA moneyline is +119, while the latter is LAC -141.
Miami Looks to Move On
After a tough loss at Staples Center, the Heat will quickly get back there and play again. Perhaps seeing the court decked out for the Clippers rather than the Lakers will fire them up. With the effort they gave last night, the loss had to absolutely sting. And perhaps can serve as their motivation here.
Whether or not Jimmy is out there, they will need to make sure to lock in defensively. They need to get timely stops and not let Paul George go off on them like he has been doing to the rest of the league.
The threes will need to continue to drop, and Bam will need to dominate the glass.
Clippers Aiming to Stay Hot
Over the last week, L.A. has gotten hot, turning a corner, even. The wins have started to come in, and they have figured out how to play with what they have. Eric Bledsoe has been absolutely horrible, while Marcus Morris is still out of the lineup. But Nic Batum and Reggie have played brilliantly.
They have gotten good minutes from Terrance Mann, Luke Kennard, and Isaiah Hartenstein, who have been the leaders of the second unit so far. Justise Winslow has been decent in spot minutes, but his best days may already be behind him.
Play through George, and you may find yourselves in a position to win.
Clippers Come Away Victorious
Reggie Jackson will pour in 30 to guide the Clips to victory. Book it.
Betting Picks:
- LAC -2.5
- Over 214.5
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