Intensity will be high Thursday in San Francisco as the Warriors open their new arena against a Clippers squad seeking to avenge a first-round loss to Golden State in last year’s playoffs. The Warriors have dominated LA in recent years, winning 16 of the last 20 meetings.
- Los Angeles Clippers vs Golden State Warriors (Matchup Report)
- Date/Time: October 24, 10:30 p.m. ET
- TV Coverage: TNT
- Sportsbook Odds: Warriors -2 | O/U 224 (Line History)
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
After seeing the Clippers’ impressive win over the Lakers on Tuesday, bettors have been pounding the Clips. As of Wednesday night, the line had moved 4 points from the opener, flipping Golden State from 2-point favorites to 2-point home dogs.
Los Angeles News & Notes
With all the hype about LA’s offseason acquisitions of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, it’s easy to forget that the Clippers won 48 games last year without them. LA reminded us all of that fact Tuesday in a 112-102 win over the Lakers, when the Clippers’ depth was on full display.
Kawhi certainly did his part with a 30-point outing, but the LA backups made up for George’s absence (he’s expected to miss the first 10 games to recover from shoulder surgery) by outscoring their Laker counterparts 60-19.
“This bench is going to be better this year than even last year,” head coach Doc Rivers told reporters after watching Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell combine to score 38 points off the bench.
Golden State News & Notes
It’s a big night for the Warriors organization as they officially open the brand-new Chase Centre in downtown San Francisco. It’s also fitting. This is the beginning of a new era for Golden State, which has lost Kevin Durant to free agency, Andre Iguodala to a trade forced by salary-cap restraints and Shaun Livingston to retirement.
The Dubs may also be without Klay Thompson for longer than expected as the sharpshooter rehabs from the ACL tear he suffered in Game 6 of last year’s NBA Finals. Head coach Steve Kerr recently told NBC Sports that it’s “unlikely” Thompson will return this season.
“This building is going to create an opportunity for us to kind of walk into a new era,” Steph Curry told reporters. “For all the new guys, we are going to be a different team and embrace that.”
But it won’t come without its challenges. Although D’Angelo Russell will be counted on to fill some of the scoring void left by Durant, the Warriors’ biggest issue early might be finding a wingman to match up defensively against top forwards — like Leonard. On the bright side for Golden State, fifth-year centre Kevon Looney is expected to return to action tonight after missing most of training camp with a lingering hamstring injury.
Betting Pick: Warriors +2
Even without Thompson and the departed Durant, the Warriors still have plenty of firepower to open their new home in style.
- The Clippers are 4-16 SU in their last 20 games in Golden State.
- The Warriors are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games at home.
- The Clippers are 4-16 SU in their last 20 games vs Golden State.
