A mixed bag of games in Saturday\u2019s seven-game slate, but the Heat and Hornets will be a must-watch with division bragging rights on the line. Meanwhile Wemby\u2019s Spurs continue to go from strength to strength as they push for the one seed in the West.<\/p>\n
The Spurs host the Clippers after comfortably dispatching the Eastern Conference leading Pistons on Friday.<\/p>\n
LA will be without several key rotation players, but still has Kawhi Leonard, who has been sensational this season, while Bennedict Mathurin provides offensive punch off the bench.<\/p>\n
That said, it\u2019s a tough assignment against a Spurs team that currently has a firm grip on the second seed in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n
With Ivica Zubac shipped off to Indiana, Brook Lopez has taken over as the Clippers\u2019 starting centre with mixed results.<\/p>\n
The former Buck is averaging 12 points across his last eight games and could see a slight minutes bump here with Niederhauser recently ruled out for the season.<\/p>\n
The Spurs concede points to centres 26% above league average over the last month, and with Lopez scoring 17 points in just 21 minutes last start, he should comfortably reach double figures here.<\/p>\n
Is he back? I\u2019m not entirely sure, but I\u2019m happy to take the 15+ points line when De\u2019Aaron Fox faces the Clippers.<\/p>\n
Fox is coming off a 29-point performance against the Pistons, which should be a confidence boost for the point guard after an inconsistent season.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s hit 15+ points in eight of his last 13 games and should be able to reach that mark again here.<\/p>\n
Kawhi has produced monster performances this season when both John Collins and either Harden or Garland have been absent from the Clippers lineup.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a small three-game sample, but Leonard is averaging 41.7 points without that combination this season and has scored at least 33 in all three games.<\/p>\n
That includes a huge 55-point outing against the Pistons, the team with the best record in the league.<\/p>\n
With the Clippers depleted heading into San Antonio, Kawhi will carry an even bigger offensive load in what shapes as a revenge-style matchup.<\/p>\n