Two of the NBA’s best defensive teams meet up for a potential rock fight when the Los Angeles Clippers (25-27) roll into the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets (32-19). This is the third meeting between the two teams this season, with the series split 1-1 so far.
Clippers vs. Rockets tips off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday from Houston, TX., live on NBA TV.
Below, we’ll break down our Clippers vs. Rockets prediction and Tuesday NBA picks for PrizePicks. Use PrizePicks NBA to make picks on player projections and win real money if you’re right.
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Clippers vs. Rockets Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
Despite the seemingly out-of-nowhere trades of PG James Harden and C Ivica Zubac this is still a Clippers team that is more than capable of going on a run in the playoffs. They are clearly not the team that started the season 6-21, but they probably aren’t as good as the team that went on to win 16 of 19 games after that disastrous start. What they do possess is SF Kawhi Leonard, perhaps the league's best player at carrying a team to a championship, both offensively and defensively.
The Rockets seemed to be in choppy waters for a brief time after back-to-back home losses to the Celtics B Team and the exciting yet beatable Charlotte Hornets. They rebounded well, however, with a win on the road over the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. They received contributions from the whole team in that outing, with C Alperen Sengun going for a 17-12-11 triple-double and forwards Tari Eason and Jabari Smith combining for 48 points.
This is a team whose defense is good enough to carry them through multiple playoff series. “Yes” on the Houston Rockets to win the NBA Finals is currently returning a 16.66x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks, the ninth-longest payout available.
Clippers vs. Rockets Over/Under, Spread
The Rockets enter Tuesday’s game as 7.5-point home favorites, returning a 1.29x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Clippers are road underdogs with a 3.12x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Houston Rockets -7.5 (1.81x payout)
- Over/Under: 210.5 (1.81x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Clippers 3.12x | Rockets 1.29x
Team Picks payouts are live as of publishing and are subject to change.
Clippers vs. Rockets Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Clippers vs. Rockets injury report for Tuesday, via NBA.com.
Clippers Injury Report
- SG Bradley Beal (Hip): OUT
- PG Darius Garland (Toe) OUT
Rockets Injury Report
- C Steven Adams (Ankle): OUT
- PG Fred VanVleet (Knee): OUT
Clippers vs. Rockets Prediction on Over/Under
Here are some stats to help you make your Clippers vs. Rockets prediction on the over/under today.
- These are two of the league’s three slowest teams in pace, with the Rockets ranking 28th and the Clippers 29th, according to NBA.com.
- Both teams' against-the-spread (ATS) records have favored the under. The Clippers are 27-25-0 (51.9%) ATS to the under while the Rockets are 28-22-1 (56%).
- The Rockets have the sixth-best defensive rating in the NBA (112.2). At home, they have been even better with a defensive rating of 110.6.
- The Clippers rank 20th in defensive rating (115.8) this season. However, since December 19th, when the Clippers' record was at a season-low 6-21, they have been the league's 11th-best defense, with a rating of 112.4.
Clippers vs. Rockets NBA Picks, Stats for PrizePicks Today
Here are two of the top Clippers vs. Rockets picks to consider for PrizePicks today. Player projections via the PrizePicks real-money NBA game.
Rockets SF Kevin Durant vs. Clippers Projection: 33.5 Pts + Reb + Asts
- This is the lowest total game in the league today by a whopping 17 points, suggesting that offensive outputs could be few and far between.
- K.D. has been much less efficient at home this season. He is shooting 47.9% from the field and 35.4% from deep at Toyota Center as opposed to 53.8% and 44.8%, respectively, on the road. This has led to him scoring 2.2 fewer points per game at home.
- The Clippers' defense is allowing only 41.9 rebounds (sixth) and 26.1 assists per game (tenth).
Clippers SF Kawhi Leonard vs. Rockets Projection: 40.5 Pts+Reb+Asts
- As mentioned above, the pace of this game will be incredibly slow, which should lead to fewer possessions and fewer opportunities to accrue stats.
- The Rockets’ defense has been smothering this year. They are holding opponents to just 45.9% shooting from the field, the sixth-best mark in the NBA.
- Additionally, they are only giving up 39.8 rebounds (second) and 24.5 assists (second) per game.
- Kawhi has stark home and road splits in scoring. He is scoring 31.7 points per game at home on 52.4% shooting from the field and 42.6% from deep. On the road, these numbers plummet to 24.1 points per game on a 46.1% field-goal percentage and 34.2% from beyond the arc.
- Leonard will be primarily defended by SF Amen Thompson, who has a defensive rating of 109.5, the best on the Rockets amongst qualifying players.
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Make Clippers vs. Rockets NBA Picks on PrizePicks
It could be a first-to-100-wins type of game in Houston tonight. Rest assured, though, Clippers vs. Rockets picks aren’t the only way hoops fans can get in on the daily NBA action.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 34 states.
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