LA Clippers vs Houston Rockets Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 17/11/2023, 11:45  by Joseph King | Modified on 17/11/2023 at 12:53 in NBA Predictions

The final game on Friday’s NBA In-Season Tournament schedule sees the second-place Houston Rockets taking on the fifth-place LA Clippers in the West: Group B. The Clippers are fast approaching full blown crisis mode as the team’s losing streak has reached six games following their 111-108 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. They currently sit 12th in the Western Conference with a 3-7 record and are 0-5 since acquiring James Harden from the 76ers. In the tournament, the Clips have an 0-2 record following defeats to the Mavericks and the aforementioned loss to Denver. They’ll have to win their remaining two games to have any shot at advancing. However, even if they were to pull their record back to 2-2, their current -21 points differential could make things difficult. Los Angeles are still searching for the formula which will make the combination of four All-NBA talents effectively work together.

The Rockets are almost on the entirely opposite side of the coin. They have significantly less star power than the Clippers but are playing far superior basketball at the moment. Houston is one of the surprises of the 2023/24 campaign after finishing 22-60 last season. They won their first In-Season Tournament game to move up to second-place with a 1-0 record after a 104-101 win over the Pelicans last week. Overall, the Rockets are up to 6-3 on the season which places them fourth in a competitive Western Conference. They recovered from an 0-3 start to the year to rip off six straight wins and currently hold the league’s second-longest active winning streak. The Rockets strong defense has been the catalyst to their rapid rise this season. They possess the league’s third-best defense with an average of 105.8 points per game allowed.