The Warriors have the best record in the NBA and there is every reason to believe they are the team to beat in the playoffs. Golden State has the superior team and the home court advantage so it will be a heavy favorite to take care of business.
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Odds at BookMaker.eu
The Warriors are 47-9 straight up and 28-26-1 against the spread. Golden State has gone 15-11-1 against the spread as the home team. The Warriors have been favored in every single game this season because of their elite talent, and that won’t change in this one.
The Clippers are 35-21 straight up and 29-27 against the spread. Their record would likely be better but both Paul and star forward Blake Griffin have missed significant time with injury.
Los Angeles has played in 30 road games this season and have covered in 14 of them. The Clippers have gone 9-8 against the spread as the underdog on the year.
Matchup to Watch
Warriors’ guards against the Clippers’ guards -- Golden State has a huge advantage here. If Paul was healthy it would be a much better scenario for Los Angeles, but he is out with a thumb injury. So the Clippers will be relying on J.J. Redick and Austin Rivers.
Redick has played well this year, averaging 15.1 points and shooting 42.1 percent but having a backup guard at the point is rough against the Warriors. Rivers has stepped up in Paul’s absence and had 13 points, four assists and three steals last time out in a win over the Hawks, and will need to play very well.
The Clippers can’t get dominated in the backcourt in order to stay in the game, but it may happen because of the presence of the Splash Brothers. Steph Curry shook off a slow start to the season and is now averaging 24.7 points and 6.4 assists per contest. He is shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range.
Klay Thompson is averaging 22.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from three-point range.
Key Stat
3.5. That’s the number of games that separate the Clippers, who are currently the No. 4 seed in the West, from the No. 7 seed. They have done a nice job without Paul of late and hope to keep that rolling, because they don’t want to tumble down the standings.
The Clippers have looked like the fourth-best team in the West when healthy, and they certainly want to avoid lacking home court advantage or facing a strong opponent in the first round.
Los Angeles has done a nice job staying afloat without Griffin and Paul for stretches this season and hope to keep it up, but doing so in this one will be a challenge.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Clippers are undermanned, on the road and are facing the best team in the NBA. There isn’t much to think about in this one as the Warriors should be able to wear down Los Angeles.
Golden State should cruise to the top seed in the West, and a win in this one will help that path. The only question will be the point spread, as the Warriors may have to win this one by double digits in order to get a cover.
NBA Odds: Warriors 123, Clippers 110
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