The Clippers are hosting the Warriors on Wednesday for a win-or-go home Play-In Tournament matchup. The loser will be eliminated, while the winner will face the loser of Tuesday’s matchup between the Suns and Trail Blazers. Whoever wins that contest will advance to the playoffs as the No.8 seed in the Western Conference.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Los Angeles is favored by 4.5 points and this game carries a total of 220.5 points.
Let’s dive into my preview and pick for this matchup.
Clippers vs. Warriors preview
The Clippers and Warriors both had disappointing seasons and now find themselves facing off in a do-or-die Play-In matchup. These Pacific division rivals went head-to-head four times in the regular season and Los Angeles won the series 3-1, including a 115-110 win in Sunday’s regular season finale.
Golden State took the first matchup by 19 points, but that was just the fifth game of the season when Jimmy Butler was healthy for the Warriors before tearing his ACL in January. Stephen Curry has only played in 43 games this season, as he has dealt with a knee injury himself, but he was active for three of these four matchups with the Clippers, so Los Angeles winning this season series with ease is notable.
Curry played in four of the final five games of the regular season and he should be a full-go for this Play-In matchup, along with Kristaps Porzingis, who played in four of the last six. Obviously, having these two healthy is encouraging for the Warriors, but Curry and Porzingis haven’t played much together and the team is 0-3 with both of them active. The Warriors closed the regular season poorly, losing seven of their final eight. Even in the four Curry was active for, Golden State only won once against the lowly Kings.
With the former MVP on the floor this season, the Warriors’ net rating is 2.3, which is solid, but a notable drop from previous seasons. Last season, Golden State’s net rating was 5.7 with Curry on the floor. The guard is still a great player, but Curry doesn’t have much help with Butler on the shelf and this Warriors’ roster is weak overall. Curry should do everything possible to keep Golden State’s season alive, but this version of the Warriors is very underwhelming compared to past iterations and it’s no surprise they are the underdog for this matchup with the Clippers.
Los Angeles also is a weaker team than it has been in recent seasons, but there is much more hope surrounding this ball club. Kawhi Leonard has been outstanding, averaging a career-high 27.9 PPG and should make an All-NBA team. Darius Garland has also been a great fit with the Clippers. Since they acquired him at the trade deadline, Garland is averaging 19.9 points and 6.4 assists per game.
With both Leonard and Garland active, the Clippers are 12-5. With both of them on the floor, the team owns an outstanding 20.4 net rating. Los Angeles isn’t a perfect team, but the Clippers are a tough out with both Leonard and Garland healthy, and Los Angeles being home for this Play-In game bodes well, as the club is 23-18 at home this season, compared to the Warriors, who are just 15-26 on the road.
Clippers vs. Warriors pick, best bet
Even with Curry back, it’s difficult to have faith in the Warriors right now. The Clippers haven’t had trouble in this matchup since Butler went down and Los Angeles not only should win this game, the club should also cover this 4.5-point spread.
This season, the Clippers are 22-19 ATS at home and 10-6 ATS in division games.
