Well-Rested Clippers Big Faves vs Depleted Warriors
Golden State has won 11 of its last 12 visits to the Clippers, but the tables have turned. LA opened as 13-point chalk to hand the Warriors their seventh straight loss. The Clippers haven’t played since Sunday and are 12-3 ATS in their last 15 games with three or more days’ rest.
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Warriors are a double-digit underdog on the road, which has meant one thing this season: lots of points. The OVER is 8-1 when Golden State has been an underdog of 10 points or more on the highway.
Golden State News & Notes
Things aren’t expected to get much better for the Warriors until March, when Steph Curry could potentially return from the broken hand that has sidelined him since October. But even though Golden State lost its sixth straight game Wednesday, Steve Kerr’s crew has been putting in an honest effort.
The Dubs easily stayed within the number in their 107-98 loss to Milwaukee as 13-point underdogs, improving to 6-4 ATS in their last 10. They’ve also been a solid bet as double-digit dogs, going 8-5 ATS in 13 such outings this year.
Draymond Green missed practice Thursday but is likely to play his second straight game since returning from an ankle ailment that forced him to miss Monday’s 111-98 loss at Sacramento. However, D’Angelo Russell is expected to miss his sixth straight outing due to a right shoulder contusion.
Los Angeles News & Notes
The Clippers have allowed 272 points in their last two games and 106 or more in eight of their last nine, during which they’ve gone 7-2 to the OVER. But if head coach Doc Rivers has his way, we won’t see another high-scoring affair on Friday — at least in LA’s end of the court.
Four off-days since a 135-132 win over the Knicks has bought the Clips some time to shore up their defensive issues. “We’ve had a lot of slippage,” Rivers told the LA Times on Wednesday. “We had a lot of games with a lot of no practice … so you’re going to have slippage.”
Rivers tends to get the most out of his team when he has extra time to prepare. Since the veteran coach took over the Clips in 2013, LA has gone 17-7 SU when playing with at least three days’ rest. In their last 15 games in that situation, the Clippers are a sizzling 12-3 ATS.
LA will still be without Paul George (hamstring), but with the Clippers not scheduled to play again until Sunday in Denver, we shouldn’t have to worry about any unexpected scratch of Kawhi Leonard.
Betting Pick: Clippers -13
If the Clippers bring their A-game once again after four days off, I don’t see how this undermanned Warriors squad can keep up.