TOM STRYKER’S FREE BASEBALL SELECTION FRIDAY, APRIL 15TH
#512 LA CLIPPERS (PK) over New Orleans at 10 PM EST
After blowing a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter at Minnesota, Los Angeles will make sure it finishes when it battles New Orleans for the right to be the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The Pelicans enter this contest off a huge home win and cover over the Spurs and they’ll have trouble getting back up emotionally off that postseason victory.
Even though LA won the last meeting between these two teams back on April 3rd in its own backyard (-2 cashed 119-100), the fact that the Clips hold a rough 2-5 SU and 1-6 ATS record in the last seven battles will keep them focused on the task at hand. It will help that head coach Tyronn Lue and his troops have played well at home in their last 17 games posting a solid 13-4 SU and 11-6 ATS record. In this setting facing a foe that holds a team won/loss percentage less than .480, Los Angeles tightens up to a nearly perfect 8-1 SU and ATS. Also, as a single-digit non-division home favorite battling a foe that scoots in with confidence off a SU and ATS win, the Clippers hold a respectable 44-17 SU and 37-24 ATS tally.
This is a poor wagering spot for New Orleans too. For starters, as a guest matched up against a foe that takes the floor off a SU and ATS loss, the Pelicans hold a weak 9-12 SU and 8-13 ATS mark in their last 21 games. In addition, on the road busting in off a blowout win of 10 points or more, New Orleans owns a soft 57-100 SU and 59-91-5 ATS mark provided both teams are rested. In this role checking in off the comforts of a home game, head coach Willie Green’s kids fall to a miserable 36-72 SU and 38-67-2 ATS. With those two parameters live and the Pelicans off a division war, this trend crashes to horrible 10-25 SU and 8-25-1 ATS.
Even without Paul George (entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols), these battle-tested Clippers made it to the Western Conference Finals last year and Coach Lue’s and his boys will lean on that experience to help them grab this win and cover. Take Los Angeles. Thanks and best of luck, Tom.
TOM’S 29-12 ATS NBA TOP SHELF PLAY-IN WAGER
Off a loss on the Halos last night in MLB, Stryker heads back over to the hardwood armed with one Best Bet that will deliver the mail. Two powerful angles support this selection, and these situations hold elite marks of 29-12 ATS and 30-15 ATS. Grab Tom’s NBA Top Shelf Play-In Wager for $30