Warriors vs Clippers Prediction, Picks & Best Bets for Tonight’s NBA Game

 

‏Warriors vs Clippers Prediction, Picks & Best Bets for Tonight’s NBA Game

‏The Golden State Warriors head south for a matchup with the 12–22 Los Angeles Clippers.

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‏That record doesn’t tell the full story. L.A. has been trending up, riding a six-game winning streak before it was snapped by Boston over the weekend, and this will be the Clippers’ fifth consecutive game at home.

‏Golden State, meanwhile, welcomes back Stephen Curry after a brief ankle issue. He’s led the team in scoring in each of his last seven appearances, and the Warriors are 6–1 in those games. My Warriors vs. Clippers predictions and NBA picks expect that formula to continue in tonight’s matchup.

‏The Los Angeles Clippers have been streaky, winning six in a row immediately after ending a five-game losing streak. L.A. was pounded by Boston last time out, losing by 31 at home, so another downturn may have started.

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‏L.A. has been leaning on its stars. During the winning streak, Kawhi Leonard averaged 39 points, scoring over 40 in three of them. James Harden added 25.5 points per night over that span.

‏The Clippers play at the league’s second-slowest pace, so it would seem like the strategy would be to slow things down and let Leonard and Harden work in the half-court. Except they're just 5-12 in games that have gone Under this year. They rank last in the NBA in assists and second to last in offensive rebounding.

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‏This underrated Golden State Warriors defense will also doom that strategy. The Warriors are fourth in the league in steals and eighth in forcing turnovers. They also have the sixth-best perimeter defense, which will help control an underrated outside shooting game for the Clippers.

‏Golden State has struggled on the road this season, going 8-12 away from the Bay Area. However, the Warriors have played much better following a 1-6 road record to start the year, which included three straight losses to losing teams. Since then, they’ve won four straight road games against teams that have a losing record, covering in all four.

‏Picking the Over may seem counterintuitive. The Clippers play at a glacial pace, and Golden State is in the bottom half of the league in tempo. However, this total is too low to account for that. It matches the lowest Over/Under total Golden State has faced in 13 games. The Clippers have gone Over in four of their last six.

‏Yes, Draymond Green was ejected in Sunday’s game against Utah, his 24th career ejection and second in the last eight games. He’s been on a scoring streak as his point totals have risen with his temper in recent games. Since returning from a foot sprain in mid-December, he’s averaged 9.7 points per game and has scored six or fewer just once in eight games.

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