The Lakers have absolutely dominated the Clippers through the years, winning 42 of the 53 meetings since 1996 and nine straight. For the first time in ages, they are NOT a double-digit favorite. The last time this was the case was December '07 and they beat their in-city rivals 113-92 that day. Of course, laying points hasn't mattered in this series for the Lakers as they've beaten the Clippers by an average of over 20 PPG during the current nine-game streak. After a rough stretch during Christmas weekend that saw them drop two of three games, Kobe and company have gotten back on track winning four straight. For some reason, the market has been slow to adjust, likely because they were 3-9 ATS heading into Sunday's game with Dallas. But they won that game 131-96 laying single digits and then covered again last night (barely) against the Rockets laying seven. Remember that this is not a "true" road game for the Lakers as they share the Staples Center with the Clippers and there will in fact be more folks in purple and yellow than red and blue in the crowd tonigght. LAC has covered each of their last four games and beat Portland outright on Monday, but they are just 16-40 ATS off their last 56 SU wins. That's just one of numerous trends going agianst the Clippers here as they are also 0-6 ATS this season after scoring 105 or more points in their previous game and 1-8 ATS if they covered four of their previous five contests. LA Lakers are our 15* NBA Late Night Bailout.
Lenny Del Genio 01/06
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