Clippers vs Warriors Betting Preview: Golden State Looks To Stay Golden
Resurgent Warriors Could Upset Clippers as Hosts
NBA Odds Slightly Favor the Visiting Clippers
Don’t look now but the Golden State Warriors are beginning to resemble their dynastic selves. Winners of five straight, the Warriors are starting to fix their issues and look like shrewd bets for this Clippers vs Warriors betting, especially as two-point underdogs at home. Golden State is now 4-2-1 against the spread (ATS) as a home dog and has won six straight here versus the Clippers.
Clippers vs Warriors 
Day/Time:
Records: L.A. Clippers (35-17)/Golden State Warriors (26-25)
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
Streaming: ESPN
Warriors Hitting Their Stride Heading to the All-Star Break
Talks of the Golden State Warriors’ demise were no more than NBA rumors. Golden State is 8-3 in its last 11 games. Two of its losses came in overtime and one was by a point. They went 9-2 ATS in these games and are getting healthier with only guard Chris Paul on the mend. The secret to their success? Draymond Green’s suspension according to him.
“I think me getting suspended helped in a weird way,” Green said after Monday’s win over Utah. “Not that I wanted to get suspended, but I do think that helped us find different things we can go to and explore.”
Indeed, Golden State is climbing the NBA standings and has the rest of the conference leery. Jonathan Kuminga, who filled in for Green after his suspension, has been a big factor for Golden State.
The former lottery pick is blossoming into a sharp forward. He’s chipped in 18.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 56.6% from the field. Golden State is 7-4 when he scores 20+ during this span. If it is to keep rolling, Kuminga will have to continue playing at a high level. He’ll be more needed per the Clippers vs Warriors betting odds.
Kuminga helped hold Clippers star forwards Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to 38 combined points on 15-of-35 shooting the last time they hosted them. The total went ‘over’ as Golden State also scored 120 on the Clippers.
But the Clippers have improved remarkably since this loss. They have gone 27-7 with the third-best net rating at +6.6. They are also 12-6 against NBA spreads against the Western Conference since.
This fourth and final NBA regular-season meeting is between the best versions of these teams, which makes this matchup more tantalizing albeit difficult to bet.
Bank on Playoff-Caliber Defenses Here
Golden State is starting to cement its championship-winning defense. In its last 11 NBA games, the Warriors are third in defensive rating at 110.5. They held Indiana and Utah, two prolific offenses, to under 110 points. It’s not coincidental that seven of their last nine games went under their totals. So 236.5 points may be high enough to bet against here.
For the Clippers, eight of their last 10 games have gone under the total. Part of that is due to their solid defense. But their shooting struggles have also contributed to their totals going low. They were held to 100 points against Minnesota, 106 against New Orleans, and 103 against Miami.
However, those three NBA teams are not only defensive but are in the bottom third of the NBA in terms of pace. The Clippers are still averaging a decent effective field goal rate (16th in this span). Add up the Warriors’ fourth-fastest pace and the total is “high” on the Clippers vs Warriors betting lines for a reason.
Clippers-Warriors games have also been high-scoring fiascos recently with five of the last seven going ‘over’. Five times the winning team had to score 120 or more points.
But since this is a battle between division rivals with playoff seedings on the line, bank on some stringent defending here. We may have a NBA playoff atmosphere here. So the final NBA score of 113-112 (225 total) two games ago is a likely outcome here.
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