A mixed bag of games in Saturday’s seven-game slate, but the Heat and Hornets will be a must-watch with division bragging rights on the line. Meanwhile Wemby’s Spurs continue to go from strength to strength as they push for the one seed in the West.
LA Clippers @ San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs host the Clippers after comfortably dispatching the Eastern Conference leading Pistons on Friday.
LA will be without several key rotation players, but still has Kawhi Leonard, who has been sensational this season, while Bennedict Mathurin provides offensive punch off the bench.
That said, it’s a tough assignment against a Spurs team that currently has a firm grip on the second seed in the Western Conference.
LEG 1 - Brook Lopez 10+ Points
With Ivica Zubac shipped off to Indiana, Brook Lopez has taken over as the Clippers’ starting centre with mixed results.
The former Buck is averaging 12 points across his last eight games and could see a slight minutes bump here with Niederhauser recently ruled out for the season.
The Spurs concede points to centres 26% above league average over the last month, and with Lopez scoring 17 points in just 21 minutes last start, he should comfortably reach double figures here.
LEG 2 - De’Aaron Fox 15+ Points
Is he back? I’m not entirely sure, but I’m happy to take the 15+ points line when De’Aaron Fox faces the Clippers.
Fox is coming off a 29-point performance against the Pistons, which should be a confidence boost for the point guard after an inconsistent season.
He’s hit 15+ points in eight of his last 13 games and should be able to reach that mark again here.
LEG 3 - Kawhi Leonard 25+ Points
Kawhi has produced monster performances this season when both John Collins and either Harden or Garland have been absent from the Clippers lineup.
It’s a small three-game sample, but Leonard is averaging 41.7 points without that combination this season and has scored at least 33 in all three games.
That includes a huge 55-point outing against the Pistons, the team with the best record in the league.
With the Clippers depleted heading into San Antonio, Kawhi will carry an even bigger offensive load in what shapes as a revenge-style matchup.
Same Game Multi
Lopez 10+ Points / Fox 15+ Points / Leonard 25+ Points = $4.33
VALUE BET - Brook Lopez 3+ 3PM @ $4.40
Wemby is an elite rim protector, but that likely means extra defensive attention around Kawhi and the paint, leaving Lopez open on the perimeter.
Because of Wembanyama’s presence inside, opposing centres are hitting threes 60% above league average against the Spurs over the last month.
With Collins and Garland unavailable and Niederhauser out, Lopez could push close to 30 minutes here. As a stretch five he should get plenty of looks from deep.
