In the Hunt – New Orleans at LA Clippers

NBA Basketball Sports Betting

New Orleans Hornets (46-27 SU, 31-40-2 ATS) at Los Angeles Clippers(18-56 SU, 29-45 ATS)
Wednesday, April 1

BetOnline NBA Basketball Sports Betting Odds:  NEW ORLEANS -3.5, Total 192

Here are some of the NBA pro basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

• NO has won 14 of its last 19 games SU
• NO has won six of its last nine road games SU
• LA has covered two of its last six games
• LA has lost five of its last six games SU
• LA has played seven of its last nine games OVER the total
• LA has covered four of its last five home games
• LA has lost five of its last seven home games SU

Also….

• NO has won and covered the last eight meetings
• Four of the last six meetings have gone OVER the total
• NO has won and covered the last four meetings as the road team
• Five of the last seven meetings in Los Angeles have gone UNDER the total
• NO has had the shooting edge in seven of the last eight meetings
• NO has had the rebounding edge in each of the last five meetings
• NO has made more three-pointers in five of the last six meetings

New Orleans still has a chance to get into the #4 spot in the Western Conference, which means it could host a playoff series. They are a game and a half behind Houston and San Antonio. We don’t know if it matters all that much if the Hornets can overtake Portland for the #5 spot. The whole Western Conference picture is in a jumble once you get past the Lakers.

Last night the Hornets showed the effect of missing key players as they barely got by the Sacramento Kings, needing a three-pointer at the buzzer from Rasual Butler to eke out a 111-110 win. Starters Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler were once again missing from the lineup, not to mention sixth man James Posey. They got 15 points from the bench, but 40 from David West, and Chris Paul had 15 assists with only one turnover.

It’s encouraging that the stars left in the New Orleans lineup recognized the need to come through and did with flying colors, but in turning around and facing the Clippers here, it must be noted that they are just 3-8 ATS when playing the second end of back-to-back games on the road. We can’t say that the Clippers have come to life; on the recent road trip they lost five games by double digits. However, they’ve covered four straight games at the Staples Center, and they have the benefit of three days of rest coming into this game after the six-game sojourn.

That’s all good, but let’s not forget a couple of important things. One is that the Clippers are hurting too, with Marcus Camby out of the lineup, which prevents Mike Dunleavy from doing what he wants to do, which is put out a big lineup, with Al Thornton coming off the bench. Baron Davis is supposed to play after missing the last game against Houston with a calf injury and ulcers, but with Paul and West, the Hornets have by far the more effective 1-2 combo.

New Orleans has also had command in this series, winning and covering the last eight encounters. We’ll take a shot with the playoff-contending Hornets, the 3.5-point favorite in the BetOnline NBA pro basketball sports betting odds, though it’s a mild recommendation.

JAY’S PLAY:  NEW ORLEANS -3.5
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)