Clippers Look To Rebound From First Loss Against Cavs

Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavaliers (1-2 straight-up, 2-1 against the spread) opened with a 94-84 home win over Washington, but they have dropped their last two versus Chicago (115-86) and Milwaukee (105-102). That Bucks game last Saturday opened a six-game road trip and went down to the wire, as they were able to cover as 7-point underdogs. Point guard Kyrie Irving (23.7 PPG) is quickly becoming a star in his second year in the league, but there is no consistent second scoring option and the jury is still out on high recent draft choices Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson. It has helped having veteran Anderson Varejao healthy after he played just 56 games over the last two years. Varejao is tied for the league lead in rebounding (15.0). Coach Byron Scott needs to get his young guys focused quickly as this road trip includes other tough stops at Oklahoma City and Brooklyn.

Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers (2-1 SU and ATS) are trying to capitalize on the Lakers poor start and become the "team of L.A." Coach Vinny Del Negro’s guys are coming off a 114-110 home loss to Golden State on Saturday as 8 ½-point favorites. Reserve guard Jamal Crawford led the way with 27 points, and he’s been a welcome addition in leading the team in scoring overall (25.7 PPG), followed by superstars Chris Paul (19 PPG) and Blake Griffin (15 PPG). Los Angeles ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring offense (105.3 PPG) and 22nd in scoring defense (100.3 PPG), which has caused the "over" to go 3-0 in the team's games so far. These interconference rivals typically meet just twice a year, with Cleveland going 4-0 ATS (3-1 SU) in the last four. The Clips are strangely 0-9 ATS in their last nine games against Central Division opponents.

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