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NBA Basketball: Friday’s Picks
Feb 26, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) and Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) battle for positioning during a free throw during the fourth quarter at Staples Center. The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Houston Rockets 101-93. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Clippers @ Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers have the same amount of losses so far this season and are in the midst of a playoff-seeding battle.
Both teams have been piling on the wins in this end-of-season race: The Clippers and the Rockets have each won eight and seven of their last ten games, respectively.
The first-placed Pacific Division team will keep it close to James Harden and company throughout the whole game, but I think Dwight Howard is going to take control of the paint tonight and dominate Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
The Rockets will end the night within one win of tying LAC in the Western Conference standings.
Jan 13, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis (23) and San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) during the second quarter of a game at the New Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
New Orleans Pelicans @ San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs, the first-placed team in the Southwest Division, host the last-placed team in the division, the New Orleans Pelicans
San Antonio’s recent win streak has been well documented, but the Pelicans are quietly 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a bonafide superstar of the future in Anthony Davis.
Though the Pelicans are set up as the team of the future, they’re going to struggle tonight against the Western Conference champions regardless of who Spurs coach Gregg Popovich decides to sit.
***All stats from NBA.com