An early season Western Conference showdown has the Los Angeles Clippers taking on the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. Following their win over Phoenix the Clips forged a three-way tie atop the conference standings while the Dubs used an explosive night from Steph Curry to reach .500. All five teams in the Pacific Division enter the week at .500 or better and all are in the top eight of the conference standings. It’s way too early, but it looks like this may be the best division in the NBA making for some interesting games between the clubs.
The contest between the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors takes place at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, from Chase Center in San Francisco and will air live on ESPN. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the Wednesday NBA schedule.
NBA Opening Lines at BookMaker.eu
Los Angeles Clippers (Check Back Later)
Golden State Warriors (Check Back Later)
Over/Under (Check Back Later)
Odds Analysis
Both teams took their lumps in earlier games and survived. The Clippers were handed their worst loss about two weeks ago and responded with a pair of cover wins over Minnesota and Portland. They moved into a three-way tie with Phoenix and the Lakers at the top of the West knocking off the Suns 112-107 on Sunday, covering the 3.5-point line. They are 5-2 SU and ATS. Since their 124-73 loss to Dallas on Dec. 27, the Clips are 3-1 SU and ATS. The Warriors had their own turnaround after dropping the first two games by a combined 65 points. They’re also 3-1 SU over their last four games splitting a pair with Portland over the weekend. They are 2-1 ATS in their last three games and 2-4 ATS overall. Both teams have an early week game before meeting for the first time this season on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Clippers
Paul George said at the time that it’s only one game and not to worry about it. He was right. The Clippers overcome the worst loss in franchise history, and that’s saying something since they haven’t been the marquee team in the league during previous stays in Buffalo and San Diego. And with George and Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers will be contending for an NBA title at season’s end with the 51-point loss a distant memory. The Clips followed that loss with a pair of their own blowouts, trouncing the Wolves and Blazers by 23 points each.
The Clippers won for the third time in four games at Phoenix on Sunday, 112-107, behind 39 points from George, who was 7 of 10 from three-point range. As a team they shot nearly 59 percent (17 of 29) from behind the arc and they are the second-most accurate team in the NBA from distance hitting on nearly 42 percent of their threes. They didn’t get much help from Leonard in the desert. Kawhi missed 17 of his 21 shots and was minus-11, but the Clips won showing how much he means to the club. He sat out the Dallas game and we saw what happened.
Golden State Warriors
It’s hard to say if the Warriors will return to the club that reached five straight NBA Finals. We do know they’ll be better than last season now that Curry is back. After playing just five games last season, it took Curry some time to get his legs back. But when he did he looked like the two-time MVP. Curry scorched the Blazers on Sunday for a career-best 62 points hitting 8 of 16 triples along the way. And while they won’t have Klay Thompson again this season, Draymond Green returned to the lineup after missing the first four games.
The hope is that Green can anchor a defense that’s been awful so far. The Warriors have allowed more than 120 points in five of their first six outings and opponents connect on 42.5 percent of their three-point attempts. Curry will need to go off every night to offset those horrific numbers.
Player to Watch
Curry is the backbone of the Warriors and we’ve seen them struggle when his shots aren’t falling. In Golden State’s three wins he’s averaging 43 points topping the 30-point mark each time. In the losses Curry averages 21.7 points and is just 8 of 32 on three-point attempts.
NBA Odds Pick
The Clippers have two of the top defensive players in the league in Leonard and Patrick Beverley. And they saw the Lakers win a title last season with one of the most efficient teams on that side. Curry will get his points, but watch for the Clips to contain him and the rest of the Warriors. While the names have changed the Clippers still have a deep and talented bench, which is something every team needs this season. That will help LA surge to a road victory.
NBA Odds Prediction: Clippers 122, Warriors 115
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