Free Daily NBA Lock Pick, Friday December 8th: Dallas vs Portland 10:00pm ET
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A long-awaited rematch between the Los Angeles Clippers (10-10; 8-12-0 ATS) and Utah Jazz (7-14; 11-10-0 ATS) is hitting Delta Center on Friday night. Back on October 27, Utah beat LA 120-118 in Salt Lake City. At 10:00 p.m. EDT, they have a chance to do it again. Will lightning strike twice, or are the Clippers going to exact revenge on Utah?
With a 7-3 record in their last 10, Los Angeles appears to be in a groove. Especially since the latest came over the Denver Nuggets, 111-102. Paul George led the team in scoring again, this time with 25 points. However, it was the defense, sixth in defensive rating (NBA.com), limiting Denver to 102 points that paved the way to victory. Los Angeles is a top-10 team at forcing turnovers and missed shots, including the fifth-lowest three-point percentage against. Their greatest defensive weakness is rebounding, something that isn't helped by Mason Plumlee's injury. He won't return until January, at least. Regardless, the Clippers are making moves defensively without him.
On the other end, the Clippers are 15th in offensive rating, even with George, Ka whi Leonard, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. They're solid when it comes to getting to the free throw line, offensive rebounding, and avoiding turnovers. However, they're 19th in free throw percentage and 21st in true shooting percentage. In a league run by efficiency, Los Angeles takes 30.7% (29th) of their shots from midrange areas. The talent is present, but the results haven't come quite yet.