Los Angeles at Memphis

This is a LONG road trip for the Clippers, 3,000 miles to the East Coast for Game 1 in Memphis. Memphis is a dominant home team (26-7) while the Clippers have a losing road record. That's because their defense is soft, in the middle of the pack in field goal shooting allowed as well as No. 27 in three-point shooting defense. The Grizzlies were able to capitalize on the Clippers' late-season fade to gain homecourt advantage. The Clippers had a shot at the No. 3 seed but blew it, on a 1-3 SU/0-4 ATS run, as Chris Paul battled injuries. This is a young team and the loss of Chauncey Billups is going to hurt. The Clippers are 16-40 ATS in their last 56 against the NBA Southwest, 2-5 ATS in their last seven games as an underdog of +5.0 to +10.5 and 1-4 ATS in their last five games when playing on three or more days of rest. While LA is not 100% in the health department, getting forward Zach Randolph back from a lengthy layoff caused by a knee injury has given the Memphis Grizzlies even more bite. And they have more playoffs experience after last season's impressive run. The Grizzlies are 35-15-1 ATS in their last 51 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600 - talk about being undervalued! Play the Grizzlies in Game 1.