NBA: Golden State Warriors vs. LA Clippers Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Los Angeles Clippers host the Golden State Warriors on their opening night. The Warriors already played at Staples Center two days ago, once they defeated the other team from LA, the Lakers. Steph Curry and the boys made a big comeback in the final period to take down purple and gold, boosting the morale before the contest against the Clips. Meanwhile, LAC had more time to rest from the preseason, but that won’t matter too much right now.

Preview

Golden State Warriors (-170) beat the LA Lakers in the season opener, 121-114, making a big comeback in the fourth period. The reason for that was a diverse offense of the guests, who had several players with 10 or more points, compared to only two the Lakers had.

Apart from Steph, who dropped 21 points and added 10 rebs and dimes for a triple-double, the Warriors also had Jordan Poole with 20 points, and Nemanja Bjelica, who entered off the bench scoring 15 points and missing one shot from the field and adding 11 boards with four assists.

Damion Lee, Andrew Wiggins, and Andre Iguodala all had their contribution as well, and may we say, a notable one. As usual, the Warriors posted 30 assists and surprisingly had more points from the paint, 46. Kuminga, Wiseman, and Klay are all out for this game, do know that.

LA Clippers (+140) had a slow preseason, winning just the first game against the Nuggets, 103-102, and after that losing three in a row, against the Kings, Mavs, and the Timberwolves.

They will miss Kawhi against the Warriors, and for the moment, we really aren’t sure when will two-time NBA Finals MVP will come back to the court. On top of that, when he comes back, we are yet to see his condition. Apart from the Claw, the Clippers are without Nicola Batum and Serge Ibaka.

We saw this team reaching the West Finals without Kawhi and several more players, meaning that it still has enough quality and that it can’t be underestimated. The Clips have Reggie Jackson, who proved to have a superb quality during the playoffs and that he can be the missing link in the LAC’s title quest.

Head to Head Matches

The division rivals met three times during the 2021 NBA season. LS Clippers had a better score, 2-1. The first game took place in San Francisco, and the Clips won, 108-101. The Warriors responded two day’s later, also at the Chase Center, 115-105. In the final matchup, the LAC blew the GSW on March 10, at Staples, 130-104.

Prediction

The Warriors are the favorites, and to be honest, the way they played against the Lakers, who are the No.2 favorites for winning the title, they should be. We just need to say that Steph Curry, even though scored 21 points, played awfully, hitting only five of his 21 shots. Because of the more flexible and versatile offense, the Warriors will be our pick in tonight’s event. GSW has much more players who can score in series than the Clippers. The odds on their victory are -170, which is solid.

Pick: Warriors win -170