NBA: Los Angeles Clippers VS Houston Rockets Pick and Predictions 11/14/2022

Game: 8:10 PM ET,  Monday, November 14th, 2022

Venue: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

Where to Watch: NBA LEAGUE PASS

Clippers: 7-6, 8th place Western Conference

Rockets: 2-11, 15th (last) place Western Conference

BetMGM:  Point Spread: Clippers -5.5; O/U 219.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: Clippers -5; O/U 219.5

Fanduel: Point Spread: Clippers -5; O/U 219.5

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

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

An NBA Western Conference matchup between a middle of the road team that was predicted to win it all… and a last place team that was predicted to be a last place team.  The Los Angeles finished last season as a GOOD team with role players providing enough juice to win at a greater rate than they lost… until the playoffs… but considering that they were missing their 3 best players: Leonard, George, and Powell… Vegas immediately jumped on the Clippers to be this season’s Champs!  The thinking was that the Clippers would be able to retain their best role player (which they did) while adding three GREAT scorers to the starting line-up.  No brainer.  Except Kawhi Leonard never made it all the way back.  When Kawhi played he wasn’t super effective and the Clippers are simply middle of the pack… In fact kawhi will never be the Kawhi of old except for the occasional crazy outburst that won’t last too many games.  Also Vegas didn’t take in to account that a team folding three players back into the line-up would take away minutes from the guys that actually got wins last season… The results are just middling.  Still there is plenty of time left in the season, 80% left to play, so the good times may still be coming.  They just are going to get here without Kawhi.  The Houston Rockets stink and it is on purpose.  The Rockets have been dwelling in the Draft Lottery for several years and are trading away pieces that would ruin that dwelling… in favor of desperately young guys and future picks…. THIS is the Rockets year.  The only thing the Rockets want from the 2022-23 NBA season is draft lottery ping pong balls.  With enough of them they could possibly win the chance to draft French teenager 7’4 Center Victor Wembamyama. Victor is the most hyped kid since LeBron and he deserves the hype. The Rockets see Victor as being the chance to finally replace Yao Ming (who retired TOO early) and get the train back on the tracks.  Victor is compared to a half Kevin Durant and half Kevin Garnett… and in his clips we can see all of it being true.  He is the biggest guy ever to have guard skills and small forward skills… and still retain all those great BIG MAN skills.  His body is well-balanced and strong!  Victor will be the next Kareem if he never has severe foot problems… and all the Rockets want is Victor.  They will ask Santa, Jesus, and their own players to keep losing games. The Rockets are the worst team in the West AND in the league and that is what they want.

The Los Angeles Clippers have no shot at draft lottery success. So they might as well win. However they lost their last game against the dreadful Brooklyn Nets 110-95.  But when we look at the Nets record.. The Clippers are just as dreadful.  In the Brooklyn game SF Paul George had 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.  That is the first Clipper ingredient to any loss.  PG-13 leads the Clippers in scoring and NEEDS to be the superstar that the rest of the team falls in line behind. If he doesn’t score above 22 points.. The Clippers will always be at risk of losing.  No Clippers in the game scored more than PG-13… so it was all downhill even though 5 guys were in double figures.  Paul George is leading the team in scoring with 24.7 points… John Wall leads the team in assists with 5.1, and Ivica Zubac leads the team in rebounds with 11.2…. In order for the Clippers to win they need all that plus 20+ points from either Norman Powell or Luke Kennard or Terrance Mann… If they get that plus one of the other three.. They will win at any time against most anybody.

The Houston Rockets are on a 2-game losing streak, which was preceded by a 6-game losing streak with a win over Orlando in between.  And still there are smiles and high fives in the GM office!  They probably already have the Wembemyama “mock up “ Jerseys for draft night.  It will be very sad when the Pelicans get the #1 pick because the Lakers are so baaad. The Rockets lost their last game to the PELICANS, a team that has the luxury of winning and still being in the lottery (thanks to the Lakers).  Houston got 33 pints form SG Jalen Green, a recent lottery draft pick, that is a key part of the Rockets future.They also got 23 points from PG Kevin Porter JR… also a recent draft pick.  In fact the team has very little that is not a recent draft pick.  The rest of the team was mostly silent. Which is unfair because SF Eroc Gordon got 15 points.. But Eric is playing out of position at Small Forward (he is a natural 2-guard).. And the team is only keeping him around to stay above the salary FLOOR (the minimum amount a team needs to spend in order to not get fined by the NBA… with the fines being split amongst the players on the roster)  The moment the team CAN get rid of Eric they will.  They gave up 26 to ZION, 22 to Larry Nance JR? And 20 to Brandon Ingram,, CJ McCollumk had another small game (9 points)  but was bever really needed.. So instead of scoring, CJ handed out 7 assists with 7 rebounds. The Rockets got run off the floor.

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LAC: 7-6, 5-8 ATS, 2-11 O/U, 4-2 in away games.

HOU: 2-11, 7-6 ATS, 7-6 O/U they are 1-2 in home games.

The Clippers are 30th in the league in scoring (terrible) with 103.9 per game, 21st in rebounds with 42.6 per game, 28th in AST/TO ratio with 1.4, and 8th in blocked shots with 5.6.  Some of these stats are random after 13 games… but th SCORING has just not been there.

The Rockets are 23rd in scoring with 109.9 points per game, 6th in rebounds with 45.3 per game, 30th in AST/TO ratio with 1.2, 21st in blocks with 4.7 per game.

The thing to remember is that the Rockets are bottom of the barrel in defensive numbers while also not being great on offense.  This is by design.

Our prediction for Monday, November 14th is…. Clippers 118 - Rockets 97

Bet on the Clippers, don’t think twice about it.  Collect your money later.  The Rockets will simply not be able to play defense on Paul George…. And if he misses shots?... Zubac, Mann, Morris SR, Powell, and Kennard will all score freely.

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Houston is 0 Over and 7 Under when the total is 220 to 229.5 this season.

The Clippers are 21-42 ATS as a home underdog the last 3 seasons.

Clippers: Paul George.  Paul has had very rare back to back bad games… He certainly will not have one against a team that is not playing defense.

Clippers: TY “what now?” Lue

Rockets: Stephen “let’s play for next season” Silas