Paul George has heard all the slander he’s catching on social media, and now he’s playing like someone who’s got something to prove. The Indiana Pacers are quietly playing well this season, but they will make a loud noise if they defeat the Clippers to open another week in the NBA.
Catch this game live on Monday, January 18, at 11 AM, Manila time
HOME TEAM: LA Clippers (9-4, 4-2 at home)
It appears that the Clippers have found their groove again. The Clippers are now 3-0 straight up in their last three games, defeating the Chicago Bulls (130-127), the New Orleans Pelicans (110-106), and the Sacramento Kings (138-100).
The Clippers’ offense has been like a house on fire of late, as over that three-game stretch, they shot 51.8% from the field and 50.9% from deep. That kind of offense doesn’t sound sustainable, but what’s another game to keep it going?
In the Sacramento game, Kawhi Leonard and George took turns in pummelling the Kings, as they scored 27 and 26 points, respectively, on a combined 18-of-29 shooting from the field.
Lou Williams is reportedly questionable to play this Monday, but the Clippers can rely on Marcus Morris to help supply the scoring off the bench for LA, which is averaging 113.8 points per game this season. Morris had 18 points in the win over the Kings.
The total has hit the over in all of the Clippers’ last four games at home.
ROAD TEAM: Indiana Pacers (8-4, 4-1 on the road)
It looks like it will take a long time before the Pacers will enjoy the services of new trade acquisition Caris LeVert, who has been ruled out indefinitely due to a recently discovered health issue.
That said, it appears that the Pacers will just be fine, so long as Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner, and Malcolm Brogdon are playing at the level they are currently showing. The Pacers have gone 4-2 straight up in their last six games and 2-0 in their last two over the Golden State Warriors (104-95) and the Portland Trail Blazers (111-87), both on the road.
The Pacers put the clamps on the Trail Blazers, who shot just 36.8 percent from the field. It’s telling of how good the Pacers’ defense is, as Portland got shut down like that despite having the pair of CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard, and they will take it as a positive sign for their chances to keep Paul George and Kawhi Leonard in check.
So far this season, the Pacers are allowing only 108.2 points per game. Indiana is 7-3 against the spread in its last 10 games against the Clippers, going back to 2014.
PREDICTIONS
The Clippers will keep it going, as Paul George reminds his old team how good he is by putting up another scintillating performance. The Clippers win this game, 116-111.
