The Golden State Warriors hit the All-Star Break a half game behind the Houston Rockets for the top seed in the Western Conference. Houston badly wants to finish with the better record, but Golden State will be right on its heels. The Warriors can begin making their push with a home game this week against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Los Angeles is battling for a playoff spot and would love to pull the upset to help its chances greatly. Even though the Clippers beat the Warriors recently, it is exceedingly unlikely they do so again. Golden State has the most talented roster in the NBA and will look to really hone in down the stretch. The first step would be a convincing win over the Clippers in this matchup.
This war on the floor will go down Thursday, February 22, 2018, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Oracle Arena. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Thursday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Clippers are 30-26 straight up and 31-25 against the spread. Los Angeles has done well against the spread on the road, covering in 17 of 28 attempts. The Clippers are 13-14 against the spread as the underdog on the season.
The Warriors are 44-14 straight up and 26-31-1 against the spread. Golden State has gone 13-15-1 against the spread at home this season. The Warriors have been favored in every single game this season.
Previous Meeting
The teams faced off in Oakland in mid-January and the Clippers came away with an upset win, 125-106, despite being a big underdog. Lou Williams was the catalyst in that game, scoring 50 points on 16-of-27 shooting from the field.
Even though the Warriors have the best trio in the NBA in Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, it was Williams who shined brightest in that game. The Clippers shot 48.9 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range.
The Clippers did not have Blake Griffin in the game due to a concussion, which was good prep for this one since he was subsequently dealt in a trade with the Pistons. Los Angeles now has the blueprint to beat Golden State on the road, but doing it again seems like it will be nearly impossible.
Key Stat
15. That’s the number of losses the Warriors had last season, so they are only one away from matching that number. It’s not a huge deal as this team is basically going through the motions in the regular season before turning it on in the playoffs, but it would like to grab the home court advantage in every round just in case it is needed.
The Rockets are definitely looking like the biggest contender to the Warriors’ throne, and getting home court would certainly help them. The Warriors would be the favorite no matter what but Houston is playing really well and is putting the pressure on.
Free NBA ATS Picks
Even though Los Angeles won the previous matchup, the Warriors are the easy choice to win this game. The bigger question is the spread. Can the Clippers lean on Williams and a smart defensive game plan to stay close? Not expected. The Warriors are rested and ready to go after the All-Star Break.
Look for Curry and Durant to both have big games to help lead their team to a win and a likely cover as long as the spread isn’t too large. Consider the “under” because while the Warriors should have no problem scoring, this game could slow down late because of its blowout status. Golden State has been biding its time but look for it to go on a run down the stretch, including a win here to kick it off.
NBA Odds: Warriors 117, Clippers 103
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