Game: Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Clippers
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Odds: Warriors -6.5, Clippers +6.5
Total: 222
After suffering back-to-back mid-week losses last week, Golden State rebounded to beat the Lakers on Saturday, 117-115. Klay Thompson had a career-high 33 points to lead the Warriors. He scored 16 of those points in the decisive fourth quarter. Tonight, Golden State looks for its 11th win in its last 13 games as they travel to the City of Angels to face the other team from LA, the Clippers.
The Clippers have been limping through the 2021-22 season without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. They did win on Saturday beating Dallas 99-97 after losing to the Mavericks 112-105 two nights earlier. Despite their recent woes, the Clippers are still very much alive in the playoff race. They are currently in eighth place in the Western Conference. They are four games out of sixth and just a game and a half ahead of the ninth-place Lakers.
At 42-15, the Warriors have the second-best record in the NBA behind Phoenix. Golden State trails the Suns by 4.5 games in the Western Conference. The addition of Thompson to the lineup has helped the Warriors, but the offense still runs through leading scorer Stephen Curry. Curry averages 25.7 points and also dishes out 6.4 assists per game. Andrew Wiggins is the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 18 points per game.
What separates the Warriors from the pack is its defense. Golden State ranks third in points allowed per game at 103.2. The Warriors are No. 1 in defensive efficiency and a big reason for that is its ability to contest and alter shots, especially those from long range. Golden State is tied for the NBA lead (with Brooklyn) in opponent three-point field goal percentage (33.2%).
The Warriors have given up some points lately though. In their two consecutive losses to Utah and New York last week, Golden State allowed 111 and 116 and then gave up 115 to the Lakers on Saturday. The Warriors have actually given up 106 or more points in eight of their last ten games. The Clippers might not be able to take advantage of Golden State’s recent defensive lapse.
The Clippers are a defensive-minded team that ranks 25th in scoring (106.2 ppg). What’s interesting though is that LA scored 111 or more points in seven consecutive games before scoring 109, 105, and 99 in their last three. Los Angeles will also likely have some chemistry issues as it gets used to having newly acquired Norman Powell (21 ppg) in the lineup.
Both the Warriors and Clippers are trending Over in game totals. The Warriors have seen the total go Over in four of their last six games. For the Clippers, the Over has cashed in five of its last six games. Golden State has won both meetings so far this season. Both games have gone Under the posted total. In fact, four of the last five Warriors-Clippers games have resulted in the total going Under.