Two teams with entirely different goals in mind for this season will be facing off against each other on Thursday night when the San Antonio Spurs make the trip out to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers.
When the Clippers have been able to deploy their full lineup this season, their team looks deep and well-rounded. The problem is the amount of load management and rested games that their players play.
In their most recent win, the duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George looked strong and were able to dominate their opponent.
The Spurs are on the complete other side of the coin and have yet to look competitive for much of this season. Their roster may bottom out here as we approach the final weeks of the trade deadline.
In any case, the disparity in records between these two teams makes for a big line, with the Los Angeles Clippers favored at home over the San Antonio Spurs at -12.5.
Where to look for positives with this team?
After a couple of years of headache since the departure of Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs have been picking up the pieces ever since.
Not to say that the rosters have not been competent, but the middling franchise has never been a recipe for success in the modern NBA.
This year they have unloaded a number of key players, including letting go of upcoming star Dejounte Murray in the off-season. Selling high on these players has poised them for a high-level draft pick this summer.
In a draft as good as the one on deck, the Spurs just might sell a couple more of their players to accumulate some more assets and late first-round picks.
Finding a healthy starting five to prove they are legit
Since the acquisition of George and Leonard, the Clippers have always been in the conversation as one of the elite teams of the Western Conference.
However, only one conference finals trip since they have been there does not scream elite. The team this year has the tools to make it back, but they need to put together some consistency.
If they managed to somehow rip off a multi-game winning streak here in the coming weeks, confidence would build in their roster.
All of the rest and load management makes it extremely easy to doubt their potential.
Spurs @ Clippers Betting Prediction
There is hardly a reason to believe that the Spurs would be able to put together a strong enough performance to win on the road against a Western Conference contender.
Should some of the Clippers players rest however, things could get interesting.
This is not a second leg of a back-to-back or anything, so expect both George and Leonard to have big games and make this one look easy on their home floor.
Roll with the Clippers over the Spurs at -12.5, and be on the lookout for the Spurs to make a few more moves before the trade deadline in a couple of weeks.
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