NBA: Los Angeles Clippers vs Houston Rockets Pick and Predictions 11/02/2022

Game: 8:10 PM ET, Wednesday, November 2nd, 2022

Venue:  Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

Clippers: 3-4, 12th place Western Conference

Rockets: 1-7, 15th place Western Conference

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Clippers -5; O/U 224

PointsBet: Point Spread: Clippers -5; O/U 223.5

Fanduel: Point Spread: Clippers -5; O/U 224

Clippers: PG Reggie Jackson, SG Paul George, SF Norman Powell, PF Marcus Morris SR, C Ivica Zubac

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

A Western Conference matchup that feels like a forgone conclusion already.  The Los Angeles Clippers have not exactly been slaying anybody.  Plius the Clippers are already experiencing “what do we do about Kawhi Leonard?... His knee is sore… Maybe sit him?... Maybe play him”.  The truth is it is very early in the season and the Clippers will recover for4m the rough start.  Especially if they embrace Paul George, who scored 35 points in each of the last 2 games, as the team’s leader.  Kawhi needs to be seen as a possible 6th man whenever he feels good enough to play. The rest of the team is ridiculously deep and talented.  The start and stop nature of Kawhi’s health goes along with ZERO leadership skills.  Kawhi is one of the best players in the NBA over the last 7 seasons.  He will no longer be that except in spurts… so the Clippers should prepare for everything they do as if Kawhi will never play for them again.  The Houston Rockets on the other hand have prepared to be the BEST at something this season… and 8 games in THEY ARE.  The Rockets are the best at losing in the NBA.  They messed around and got 1 win early… but they are determined not to make that mistake too often.  The Rockets have an advantage of having played 8 games already… That gives them 1 more loss than the Magic… 2 more losses than the Lakers!  That is a team built for losing.  The Rockets have no depth at all… what they do have is 4/5ths of a starting five made up of super young first round picks that are being developed ON THE COURT in game action!  If those guys play too well and threaten a win… the Rockets will insert the collection of super young nobodies that are riding the bench.  Hopefully that will ensure losses!  All these losses are in hopes of nabbing the #1 pick in the next NBA draft… and even if they land the #2 they should be getting a swell franchise type player…. If they fall #3 or later in the draft… they would have wasted all of these hard fought losses.

The Los Angeles Clippers opened the season as a Vegas favorite to win the NBA Championship.  Seems odd, but the thinking was so many good players would get Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Norman Powell back at the same time and run away with the league.  Turns out those additions come with growing pains… and more knee pains for Kawhi. After 7 games the Clippers are 1 game below .500 and one of only 3 teams averaging less than 100 points a game on offense.  The Clippers are at 99.9 points a game. New addition PG John Wall has looked effective off the bench in some games… and not in a few others.  He is a 17 point guy when good and an 8 point guy when not so good… and he needs a rest and is listed as Questionable for Wednesday’s game.  Coach Tye Lue is toying with the starting SF spot and tried SF Norman Powell off the bench last game… Norman Powell has had 2 good scoring games (18 points, 21 points) and 5 single digit scoring games.  That is exactly what the Clippers do not want to see from a guy who was so capable of 20 point games when he arrived here from Portland last season.  Luke Kennard got the start and the Clippers barely beat THESE SAME ROCKETS on Monday night 95-93.  

The Houston Rockets were leading the Clippers by 5 points with 1 ½ minutes left to play on Monday night… Then Paul George went on a quick shooting barrage and the Rockets LOST the game by 2 points.  The Rockets are achieving tanking this season by starting a group of young guys who may be solidly growing their offensive skills but are mostly inept on defense.  SF Eric Gordon is undersized for a SG… but there he is, the team’s veteran, giving up lots of height to high flying, athletic, small forwards on most every other team.  That formula ensures the front office gets the losses they so desperately want.  The close call however gave the Rockets the win ATS… and that will be the tricky thing we have to look at all season when we are betting on any Rockets game.  The Spread will be large, giving the Rockets a good window to hand you a bad beat on their way to being a team that almost never wins games.

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LAC: 3-4, 1-6 ATS, 1-6 O/U, 2-2 on the road.

HOU: 1-7, 5-3 ATS, 4-4 O/U, 1-1 in home games.

The Clippers are 30th in scoring with 99.9 points per game, 12th in rebounds with 45.3 per game, 30th in AST/TO ratio with 1.2, 4th in blocks with 6.4 per game.

The Rockets are 27th in scoring with 107.8 points per game, 5th in rebounds with 46.8 per game, 29th in AST/TO ratio with 1.2, and 17th in blocks with 4.9 per game.

Our prediction for Wednesday, November 2nd is….  Clippers 109 - Rockets 98

The Clippers will pull away in this one.  They weathered the Rockets best punch on Monday and barely pulled it off… Now the Clippers will show how Vets can adjust from game to game especially since they have recently seen the game… while the young Rockets don’t have enough NBA experience to make adjustments yet.

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Houston is 3-1 ATS versus the Clippers at Houston the last 3 seasons.

3 of 4 of these games at Houston went UNDER.

Clippers: SF Norman Powell.  Maybe he starts?... Maybe he comes off the bench.  Either way the Clippers expect Norman to hit 20 points in any game that Kawhi misses.

Rockets: C Alrepen Sengun.  Ever heard of him?... nah.  Still Alperen is having great game after great game.  He is really a very consistent piece for the Rockets with an average of 15 points per.  If the Rockets land the #1 pick in the next draft (a long time away)... They may have many callers for Alperen’s services.

Clippers: Ty “will Kawhi ever play for me?” Lue

Rockets: Stephen “babysitter” Silas