The NBA season has just a few weeks left to go. The playoffs are just around the corner, and that means that the race for home-court advantage in the playoffs is now in full swing. Which teams will get the jump on others?
San Antonio Spurs @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Thursday, 8:05 PM ET
NBA Betting Odds: Thunder -1
The San Antonio Spurs were viewed to be a team whose 17-game winning streak was in trouble on Monday night. San Antonio went to Indianapolis to take on the Indiana Pacers, a team that had won in San Antonio earlier in the season and had told the rest of the NBA that it was ready to compete for a championship. The Pacers, needing to win to stay in front of the Miami Heat in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, had everything to play for in that game, and they were at home. San Antonio’s run of unbroken success was supposed to stop, or at the very least, it was supposed to be seriously threatened. However, the Pacers were no match for the Spurs, who rolled to a blowout win and held Indiana to only 77 points. The Spurs are on a big-time roll, and they’re winning comfortably away from home. Oklahoma City can’t just rely on being at home to win this game. The Thunder will likely have to play one of their best games of the season. Can the Spurs continue to be so awesomely consistent? They can. Yet, it’s hard to imagine that the Spurs will carry their winning streak all the way through to the playoffs. The Miami Heat did not reach 30 games on a late-season winning streak last year. The Spurs are probably going to lose at some point, and this seems like a good spot in which to pick against them.
Pick: Oklahoma City
Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Clippers
Thursday, 10:35 PM ET
The Dallas Mavericks are in real trouble. They lost a home game to the Golden State Warriors, one they really couldn’t allow to slip away. The Mavericks have to be able to win games at home against teams that are near or below them in the standings. Now, as a result of losing at home to Golden State, it’s that much more important for Dallas to be able to win a game on the road against an opponent that is much higher in the Western Conference standings.
The Los Angeles Clippers look like a team that can legitimately contend for a championship. The Clippers have played well in recent weeks even while Blake Griffin has dealt with some aches and pains. Griffin’s health is a long-term concern, but on one night, the Clippers still give the appearance of being a team whose offense can dominate Dallas’ defense. The Clippers have been able to play without a fully healthy lineup for much of the season, and this should make them more able to adjust in moments of difficulty.
Pick: Clippers
