Clippers vs Warriors Betting Preview: Trending Differently

Inject Some Westbrook for Instant Insanity!

NBA Odds Favor New-Look Clippers Despite Skid

The Los Angeles Clippers have not won a game since acquiring Russell Westbrook (0-3). But hey, they’re a lot more fun now. They enter the Chase Center as 2.5-point betting favorites per the Clippers vs Warriors betting preview. The Golden State Warriors are also shorthanded without Stephen Curry (leg) and likely Andrew Wiggins (personal). So is “Russ” set to have a powerful revenge game?

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Teams Standings: Los Angeles Clippers (33-31) / Golden State Warriors (32-30)
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
Streaming: TNT

It’s So “Clippers” to Acquire Westbrook

Who cares about the NBA standings? Clearly, not the Clippers. The team currently hovering just two games above .500 and traded away John Wall but picked up the former MVP in Westbrook. Never mind all the negative chatter surrounding the former Laker, the team has failed to win since acquiring him. But that’s thematic to the organization as this Clippers vs Warriors betting preview will elucidate.

After all, Westbrook does not adjust to teams. Teams adjust to him. He’s like the sun and everything must revolve around him. The Clippers have Paul George and another egocentric superstar in Kawhi Leonard. But these top-tier NBA talents should be the betas to Westbrook’s alpha lest the Clippers just tank.

“I fear them much less now,” the executive told John Hollinger of The Athletic in regards to the Westbrook signing. Hollinger himself added, “Westbrook’s high-usage, low-efficiency, non-floor-spacing style seems almost perfectly suited to minimize Kawhi Leonard’s and Paul George’s effectiveness.”

All of that is true and still leaves out the part where Westbrook does not play defense. The team’s defense fell to 120.8 with him, which is the sixth-worst in this stretch. On top of that, “Brodie” only plays with one speed, fast. It’s why two of the Clippers’ three games saw the totals go over on the NBA betting lines. Their pace shot up.

The Clippers were 24th in the NBA with a pace of 98.24 prior to signing Westbrook. In their past three games, their pace averaged 104.3. That’s the fourth-fastest in that span.

To the logical mind, acquiring Westbrook felt illogical for a team that prioritized defense and maximizing possessions – a.k.a thinking things through before each play. But actually, signing Westbrook is on brand with the Clippers franchise.

We’re talking about one of the most dysfunctional, unfortunate, and/or cursed sports teams to ever exist. From a litany of injuries to head-scratching roster decisions to playoff futility, this franchise knows how to make a disaster movie. It’s why Westbrook is the perfect lead actor.

Warriors Have a Hell of a Third Act to Come

While the Clippers could have just permanently handicapped themselves, the Warriors are set to have one hell of a comeback. News came out that Curry should return soon.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, through his sources, wrote: “There’s optimism Golden State’s Steph Curry (left lower leg) will return sometime on next week’s three-game road trip, which begins Sunday vs. Lakers. Warriors play Thunder on Tuesday and Grizzlies on Thursday. Curry has been out since suffering injury on Feb. 4.”

If the anonymous exec became unafraid of the Clippers, they are probably shivering thinking of the Warriors reaching full health just as the playoffs arrive. Golden State sits fifth in the Western Conference. The team has won three straight and is 4-2 in its last six games against the NBA point spread.

Curry is averaging 29.4 points with a shooting spread of 495/427/922. His effective field goal rate of 61.9 percent is the highest it’s been since his last MVP season. The Warriors also got back Gary Payton II who will bolster the team’s bench and provide some much-needed energy when he returns from an abdominal injury.

The Warriors are still just 7-23 on the road, which is by far the worst record for any playoff team. But if the team can rectify its defense and start winning, repeating as NBA champions is not out of the equation. This Clippers vs Warriors betting preview could just be the start of the Warriors’ resurgence.

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