Clippers vs. Warriors Odds, Pick, Prediction | NBA Betting Preview

Clippers vs. Warriors Odds

The Los Angeles Clippers kick off a short two-game road trip on Thursday night when they take on the Golden State Warriors.

Los Angeles remains the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. However, the Clippers have lost their first three games since play resumed after the All-Star break.

Meanwhile, Golden State has gone 3-1 since returning from the break and has done so with several key players absent.

Los Angeles and Golden State are neck-and-neck in the West, further highlighting how important this game is a tightly contested Western Conference. Stick around for my pick and a betting prediction for the Los Angeles Clippers vs Golden State Warriors matchup.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers first three games out of the All-Star break have been far from ideal.

The first game was a double-overtime loss against the Sacramento Kings, during which the Clippers surrendered 176 points.

That was followed with another overtime loss, a 134-124 game against the Nuggets. Los Angeles cleaned some things up Tuesday against Minnesota, but still lost 108-101.

The main reason for the Clippers' losing streak has been their play on the defensive end of the floor, something that used to be LA's biggest strength.

Since the All-Star break, the Clippers have posted a 120.8 Defensive Rating, the sixth worst in the NBA in that time. Los Angeles' opponents are shooting an incredible 52.9% from the floor and 37.7% from behind the arc per NBA.com.

Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are still without Stephen Curry and have a number of other players listed alongside him on the injury report. However, the Warriors have been able to do some damage regardless.

Curry has not played since February 4th. In that time, Golden State is 5-4 and now slots in as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.

Even without its best player Golden State has done a terrific job on the offensive end. According to NBA.com, the Warriors have posted a 120.0 Offensive Rating in the nine games without Curry, the fourth-best rating in the NBA in that time. That rating is also an increase of 5.8 points from Golden State's season rating of 114.2.

Additionally, Golden State has made encouraging strides on the defensive end of the floor since the All-Star Break with a 107.7 Defensive Rating in those four games.

Golden State has figured it out on both ends and it doesn't look like injuries are going to hold it back from making a late-season push.

Clippers-Warriors Pick

We have a slumping Clippers team going up against a hot Warriors squad, so I think backing the Warriors as a home underdog is a solid play.

The defensive struggles are not new for the Clippers and have been happening since the new year. Prior to January 1st, the Clippers owned a 110.0 Defensive Rating, but since the calendar flipped, that rating has skyrocketed to 117.4.

Los Angeles has struggled on the perimeter during that time, allowing its opponents to shoot 40.1% from 3 in 2023. That ranks Los Angeles last in the NBA, and it will likely pose a problem against a Warriors team that has shot 42.1% from behind the arc in their past three games.

Additionally, Golden State is 20-11-1 against the spread at home. That is the third best ATS record in the league and I think the Warriors are in a great spot to improve on that here. I would play the spread down to one.

Pick: Warriors +2.5 | Play to +1

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