The Golden State Warriors slept-walked through the regular season at times but still finished with the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The intensity will amp up now that the playoffs are here. Golden State is in the midst of one of the most dominant dynasties in NBA history and is the prohibitive favorite to add another championship to its resume.
The Warriors will begin the playoffs with a first-round matchup against the upstart Los Angeles Clippers. Los Angeles traded away superstar Blake Griffin a year ago and then Tobias Harris at the trading deadline, yet still put together an impressive season to qualify for the playoffs.
The Clippers would love to put a scare into Golden State but it won’t be easy as there is a huge talent discrepancy between these teams in NBA odds.
This NBA basketball series between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers will kick off on Saturday, April 13 at 8 p.m. ET from the Oracle Center in Oakland, California. The game will be nationally televised on ABC.
We'll have NBA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2019 NBA postseason.
Odds Analysis
The Clippers wrapped up the regular season with a record of 48-34, which easily outpaced projections that had them finishing in the lottery. Los Angeles finished the year 26-15 at home and also went three games over .500 on the road. The Clippers will need to somehow win a game in Oakland in order to have a shot at winning the series, and that is a tall order.
The Warriors went 57-25 on the year. It wasn’t the same dominant regular season the team has come up with in the past, but at this point Golden State doesn’t care as much and it only worried about championships. Golden State was 30-11 at home this season and went 27-14 on the road.
Season Series
The Warriors won three of the four meetings between these teams in the regular season but the Clippers did do a nice job of remaining competitive. Los Angeles won the first head-to-head matchup between the sides, capturing a 121-116 victory in overtime at home on Nov. 12.
The Clippers pushed the Warriors to the brink in the second matchup, as Golden State eked out a 129-127 win at home behind Stephen Curry’s 42 points.
The Warriors took control from there, cruising to a 112-94 win in Los Angeles on January 18 and clinching the season series with an easy 131-104 win over the Clippers on April 7. Los Angeles will need to channel its early-season performances to keep within reach in this series.
Injury Report
Curry sprained his ankle late in the regular season and didn’t play in the season finale against the Grizzlies. The injury does not seem to be major, but if he misses the early part of the series it could give the Clippers a glimmer of hope at stealing a game in Oakland. The Warriors will still be sizable favorites if Curry cannot go, but keep an eye on his status as it will affect the spread.
Forward Draymond Green is dealing with knee soreness and center DeMarcus Cousins is still not all the way recovered from last year’s torn Achilles, but they seem likely to be available from the start of the series.
The Clippers are in good shape health-wise heading into the playoffs.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Warriors are dealing with a few minor injuries, but even if Curry has to miss a game or two, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson will be more than ready to pick up the slack. The Clippers are a nice story but they do not have the horses to compete in this series.
Golden State should make quick work of their California foe as it stares down a likely second-round matchup with the Rockets. The Warriors will be heavy favorites to win this series so it might make more sense to try to peg how many games it will take them to increase the payout in NBA gambling.
NBA ATS Pick: Golden State Warriors to sweep the Los Angeles Clippers in four games
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