Free pick time, BABY! I got an eye on this Clippers’ team- let’s pull the trigger!
Current NBA Record: 259-204 (56%), +73.25 units
Translation: We win, a lot. Click here for my premiums every day in your inbox!
Clippers +3.5, 1 unit: This isn’t a play that I’d put your mortgages on, but I really, REALLY don’t like this spot for the Bulls. Sometimes the old eye test is the best way to assess a team and fortunately, I was able to watch the Chicago game on a local network against the Wizards Tuesday. Maybe I should say unfortunately; it wasn’t a fun watch. The depleted, pedestrian Wizards were hanging with the Bulls in every facet of the game. Only later in the 3rd and into the 4 quarter did we see the Bulls pull away and cover that line (-3.5), but that’s nothing impressive. Washington probably isn’t interested in winning outright, they’re too many games back from making the playoffs, and they clearly minimized their efforts late in that contest. The Clippers will do no such thing tonight.
We were told Paul George would have a “minutes-restriction” when he returned Tuesday, but ultimately that wasn’t the case. George ended up playing 31 minutes and gave a fantastic effort, putting up 34 points and 6 assists, including a 6-9 mark from 3-point land. George isn’t just a significant upgrade on offense; he’s a difference maker on defense, too. One of the better overall defenders in NBA history, George can lock-down any opponent and he showed that Tuesday, immediately bringing intensity and viability to a defense that hasn’t looked the same without him. The Clippers were starting Amir Coffey in his spot, forcing Luke Kennard and others to step out of their roles and contribute more for a squad that already suffered from less efficiency and production on both ends of the floor. Coffey brings a nice perimeter shooting component, but lacks in pretty much every other category. Needless to say, Paul George is a huge upgrade for the Clippers, who are now a dangerous team heading into the postseason. That’s exceedingly true if Kawhi returns, too.
The Bulls have lacked the emotion and scrappy blue collar intensity that we loved at the start of the season. They clearly miss Lonzo Ball, who obviously must’ve been crucial to their spacing and chemistry on offense, and their defense hasn’t looked the same since the start of 2022. They looked lost for the majority of Tuesday’s game against the Wizards and they were lucky to ultimately win. LAC is off a big conference victory and I expect that momentum to leak into tonight’s matchup. I’ll take the road dog Clippers and I think it would be wise to keep an eye on LAC as we near the postseason.
