Basketball Betting Tips from the Best Basketball Tipsters of the net!

For this match I see a lot of value in the Clippers. The line is at 10,5 points and I understand the bettors are seduced to bet on the Hornets, as they are probably the hottest team in the league right now, having won 9 of their last 10 games and 14 of their last 16. But a DD spread is just too much.

First of all, the Clippers are more solid right now and they aren't the same team that lost twice at home against the Hornets earlier this season. But let's analyze the scenario for the Hornets in this matchup. The team in their last 4 home games covered the spread in a very easy way. They have won these four home matches by an average of 22 points. This is simply brutal. However, there is an extra factor for tonight's game. The Hornets will have tomorrow a b2b game at the Spurs. Now this will be the true test for the team, so it will be normal to see the Hornets winning this game early and then start saving their main players, allowing a final recovery by the Clippers, so they can cover the spread. After all, 10.5 points clearly allows this scenario to happen. Also the line started at 11.5 points and even though 60% of the public is on the Hornets, the line has decreased to 10.5 points, which is clearly a sign that the smart money is on the Clippers side.

The Clippers are stronger lately. Not only they have won 3 of their last 5 games, as they are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games, including games against New Orleans, Dallas, San Antonio, Orlando, Phoenix, Utah (x2) and the hot team of the Kings. The first notion is that the situations of the "questionables" are over. Cassell can finally play 30 mpg on a regular basis. Another situation that I liked was an argument that happened at HT in their game against the Kings, between Mike Dunleavy and the owner of the team, Donald T. Sterling. This whole soap opera started Monday when Sterling suggested he might have to replace Dunleavy and general manager Elgin Baylor if the team didn't improve. Dunleavy then responded to that with a salvo of ire, saying, "Be my guest," among other things. He also said the owner wasn't following through with deals Dunleavy was trying to orchestrate, even though making deals is Baylor's job, not his.

"I was told that Andy talked to Mr. Sterling," Dunleavy said. "He said everything was good. He told me, `Look, I'm a long-term guy. I have great confidence in you, let's just move forward and win games.' And Andy said the same thing. I feel the same way."

So why didn't Dunleavy tell reporters that in the first place?

"I said, 'How should I handle this with the press in terms of my conversation."

I don't know if that was a coincidence or not, but the team was 50-49 up against the Kings and Quinton Ross was 0-6 FG. When Dunleavy decided to put the rookie Thornton in the field (who ended the game with 7-17 FG), the Clippers outscored the Kings by 61-36 in the second half of the game. This game was a sign that Dunleavy is being pressured and he has to take the best decisions.

The team with Cassell in good shape has improved their ball movement a lot. In their last 3 games, they had 78 assists and 43 turnovers and they have been shooting close to 50% FG. They have also scored more than 100 points twice in their last 3 games, when they had only scored more than 100 points once in the 14 matches before.

This team can compete with the Hornets today and that's why I'm taking Clippers plus the points today.

www.andregomes.com

Pick : LA Clippers (+10,5)
Odds : 1.91
Stake : 7 / 10
Bookmaker : The Greek
Tipster Personal Link/Sponsor:
Date : 2008-01-26
Match Result : 111-92
Viewed: 208 times.