The Golden State Warriors can clinch the top spot in the Western Conference with a win tonight and will need to top the Los Angeles Clippers to wrap it up. The Warriors look to have shaken off the disinterest of the regular season and with the playoffs on the horizon, they’ll likely come out like gangbusters vs a short-handed Clippers squad that has dropped its last two games.
The Warriors opened as 13.5-point favorites with a total of 235.
Clippers vs Warriors Game Center
STANDOUT STATS
- The Warriors are routinely a double-digit favorite at home. This is their 21st game with a spread of 10 points or more at Oracle Arena this season and while they’re 17-3 SU, they’ve only covered the spread in nine of those outings. Since the all-star break, Golden State has been in this spot eight times and are 5-3 SU and 2-6 ATS with outright losses to Houston, Phoenix and Dallas.
- The Warriors look like they care lately because, in six of their last seven games, they have destroyed teams. The Dubs have beaten the Nuggets, Hornets, Pistons, Lakers, Grizzlies and Cavaliers by an average of 17 points per game but dropped a road game in Minnesota in overtime.
- The Clippers have been one of the top teams in the NBA since the all-star break with a 15-6 SU record and covering the spread in 13 of those games. They rank fifth in points scored per game and seventh in field goal percentage despite ranking 19th in shot attempts.
- In their last four games at Oracle Arena, the Clippers may be 1-3 SU but have covered the spread each time despite being a double-digit dog in each game. Their average losing margin in those contests is 6.2.
- The UNDER has hit in eight of the Warriors last 10 home games (avg. combined score: 223.8) but when these two teams meet, there is usually plenty of scoring. The OVER has hit in nine of the last 10 games in this matchup (avg. combined score: 240.2).
My Best Bet for Clippers vs Warriors
OVER 235
I’ll probably get burned for taking the OVER but the Warriors’ motivations to put on a show for their final game at Oracle Arena makes me think they’ll score at least 125 points. The Warriors need this win to clinch the top seed in the Western Conference and this game will be their final regular season appearance in Oakland to close out an era of four straight NBA Finals appearances. I normally loathe taking such high totals in NBA games but I think these teams will come out firing. It also helps that the Clippers have been scoring a ton of points lately and tend to keep games close when they face the Dubs.
