The San Antonio Spurs were basically left for dead last year when they struggled through the season and limped into the Western Conference playoffs. They beat the Mavericks in their opening series, but then fell to the Suns in the second round. The pickup of Richard Jefferson simply didn’t work out at all last year.

Fast forward to this season, and you’ll see many of the same faces but a much different look from the Spurs. Jefferson is having a big comeback year, and the Spurs have the best record in the NBA. Can this team make one final run back to the NBA Finals before the core players get too old?

Clippers fans are finally getting to see Blake Griffin play, and he is proving that he has certainly worth the top draft pick overall. The problem for this team is that Griffin simply doesn’t have enough help right now. The Clippers are just 3-15 on the season, and this is a team that has been as inconsistent as anyone in the NBA. It’s hard to explain how this team was able to beat New Orleans and Oklahoma City, yet the Nets and the Pacers thrashed them.

The Spurs are averaging 107.2 points per game, which is third best in the NBA. It’s obvious that Gregg Popovich has decided his team should pick up the pace on offense, and it has worked out beautifully thus far. The Spurs are also attacking the offensive glass much more than they have in the past couple years. Manu Ginobili is averaging 21.6 points per game, and he is shooting 47.4 percent from the floor. Both of those numbers would be career highs for Ginobili. Tim Duncan’s numbers are down, but he is still the fundamental leader of this team. No one has been more consistent than the Spurs so far this year.

Vinny Del Negro is trying to turn this Clippers franchise around, but this year has been a difficult one through 18 games. Del Negro wants this team to play strong defense, but they are 29th in the league in field goal percentage defense. This team has lost several close games, because they simply can’t knock down free throws. At 70.4 percent, the Clippers are the second worst free throw shooting team in the NBA. The two bright spots have been Eric Gordon and Griffin. Gordon has done a great job on offense, but he does need to improve his three point shooting. This is still a very young team, and most believe they will improve over the next year or two.

Spurs at Clippers Betting Odds and Line Movement

The Spurs opened as seven-point road favorites in this matchup. The posted total opened at 204 points. There has been little movement thus far, but I would think the public will be on the Spurs in this one.

San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers Betting Trends

The Spurs are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 road games
The Clippers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games
The ‘over’ is 5-0 in the Spurs last 5 games overall
The ‘over’ is 10-4 in the Clippers last 14 games overall
The Spurs are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 meetings with the Clippers

NBA Picks and Predictions: Spurs at Clippers

The Spurs will be playing the second game of a back-to-back in this matchup. San Antonio has only had two back-to-back games this year; both times the second game has gone ‘over’ the posted total. I think the Spurs tired legs will lead to some easy baskets for the Clippers, but I’m sure the Spurs will get plenty of easy shots on this poor Clippers defense as well. I think the ‘over’ is the best play in this one.

Allen Eastman was the Doc’s Sports Advisory Board leader for NBA picks last season, helping $100 bettors earn more than $5,000. His picks have already helped $100 bettors win $1000 so far this season.. Eastman has been in the sports betting business for decades and his NBA handicapping system is a must for any NBA bettor that is serious about making money this season. Also, check our home page daily updated NBA lines, NBA betting articles and daily matchup reports.