Currently, Golden State would be going to the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and the Los Angeles Clippers would be a wild card team as the No. 8 seed. Who will avoid a loss tonight?
Golden State (42-15, 30-27 ATS) might have won 10 of their last 12, but there is some concern from backers, especially those who are taking the Warriors for NBA picks, as they have dropped five in a row against the spread. In our game preview segment, we’ll talk about what could be happening.
The L.A. Clippers (28-30, 25-32-1 ATS) are glad to be home, even if it’s just for one game after being on the road for 11 of their past 13 contests. The Clips have a tough start of the week before reaching the All-Star break, having to take on the two-best from the West in the Warriors tonight and at Phoenix on Tuesday.
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Monday, February 14, 2022 – 10:30 PM EST at crypto.com Arena
Top sportsbooks like BetRivers have the Clippers as 6.5-point home underdogs with a total of 222.5.
Golden State Might Be Overstated
With the way Golden State started the year at 18-2 (16-4 ATS), many thought the Warriors were back as a championship-level team and getting Klay Thompson would make them that much stronger. It was natural to think, something like that would be true because of how impressive that stretch was.
A big part of that was also how well coach Steve Kerr’s bench was playing to begin the year. The fortunes of the Warriors began to change when Draymond Green was injured. Green is a glue guy who makes everything better and his daily presence is big for this team.
Since that fantastic start, Golden State 24-13, good but not elite. Missing Green plays a part, but the bench has leveled off on a nightly basis. Though the defense remains strong overall, the four-quarter consistency we saw previously has more ups and downs these days and the same is true of the offense even with Thompson’s return.
It would be a disservice to call Golden State overrated because it’s not true. A better word is – overstated – at this point because they are not playing how they started the year. Maybe when Green returns sometime in March that will change how we should look at the Warriors, but not until then.
Clippers Hope Their Adaptability Will Matter
Los Angeles is clearly not a top-level club in the Pacific Division or their conference with Kawhi Leonard out all season and Paul George for nearly half of it. But what coach Tyronn Lue has managed to do to keep this club competitive is continually mix and match, trying to place his players in the best places for success.
The L.A. defense is 10th in the league in efficiency and that has occurred in a manner of ways, often with very good help defense and Lue creating confusion by the opposing team in matchups. Trading for Robert Covington should be a benefit because he’s excellent in taking away passing lanes which fits the Clippers’ aggressive style.
On offense, Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris have keyed the offense in George’s absence. However, the addition of Norman Powell adds a truly reliable scorer (now out with foot fracture) and should further enhance the role of Terance Man running the show.
Warriors vs. Clippers Free Pick Prediction
Yesterday’s announcement of the Powell injury altered the betting odds towards Golden State by a point. Nonetheless, the way the Warriors have performed against the spread of late and seeing this is a division home game for Los Angeles, it seems their defense will keep them in the battle.
We also like the fact the Clippers are 26-12 ATS at home when the total is 220 or higher and they end up losing by four points or less.
NBA Pick: Clippers +6.5 (-110) at BetRivers
