San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers (+4.5, 205.5)

The San Antonio Spurs have the second-best record in the NBA and see no reason why can't overtake the Golden State Warriors over the season's final 29 games. San Antonio is 3 1/2 games behind the league-best Warriors and looks to post its seventh consecutive victory when it visits the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday as play resumes following the All-Star break.

The Spurs are 45-8 - the franchise's best-ever record at the break - and see it as crucial to end up with the No. 1 seed in the West because both they and Golden State have perfect home records. "The fun is over," All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge told reporters. "We understand the task at hand." The Clippers have had to sidestep distractions caused by the incident in which power forward Blake Griffin broke his right hand punching assistant equipment manager Matias Testi and Griffin addressed the situation publicly for the first time on Tuesday. "This is not something that I have ever had to deal with and not a position that I have ever been in, so it has been tough to know that I let my teammates down, let our organization down and let the fans down, let my family down, all of that," Griffin told reporters. "That has probably been the hardest part."

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

LINE HISTORY: The Spurs opened as 3.5-point road favorites and have been bet up to -4.5. The total hasn't moved from the opening number of 205.5.

INJURY REPORT:

Spurs - C M. Bonner (questionable Thursday, calf), PG T. Parker (questionable Thursday, ankle), SG M. Ginobili (Late March, groin).

Clippers - G A. Rivers (Mid March, hand), PF B. Griffin (Late March, hand/suspension).

COVERS POWER RANKINGS: Spurs (-17.1) - Clippers (-8.2) + home court (-3) = Clippers +5.9

WHAT SHARPS SAY: "The Spurs, still the top ATS team in the league with the best point differential in the sport, are 6-0 SU in February. As for the Clippers, trade rumors surround Blake Griffin, but do not fall for the "Clippers are better without Blake" take. Interestingly, they are 8-0 SU/7-0-1 ATS vs. the Southeast Division." - Covers Expert Power Sports.

DANCE TEAM WAR:

ABOUT THE SPURS (45-8, 34-19 ATS, 25-26-2 O/U): Aldridge ended play before the break on a roll with six 20-point outings in an eight-game span. Aldridge averaged 24.1 points and shot 60.2 percent from the field during the stretch and is averaging 17 points after a slow start to the season. Aldridge has worked through the transition period upon leaving Portland to join the Spurs and is now fitting in much better with his teammates.

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (35-18, 25-25-3 ATS, 24-29 O/U): Los Angeles has gone 18-5 with Griffin sidelined and rumors continue to persist that the club is shopping him prior to Thursday's trading deadline. Coach Doc Rivers has expressed displeasure that he has to continue to address the situation but the speculation isn't going to stop swirling until the deadline passes. "We receive phone calls about every single player, honestly, but it does frustrate me when you hear all that speculation and all that stuff," Rivers told reporters. "It’s completely untrue."

TWEET BEAT:

TRENDS:

* Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Los Angeles.
* Over is 4-1 in the last five meetings.
* Spurs are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings.
* Underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.

COVERS CONSENSUS: Bettors are all over the Spurs in this matchup with a whopping 72 percent of wagers backing San Antonio. As for the total, 65 percent of wagers are on the over.

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