Blake Griffin’s return helps, but the Clippers are still without Chris Paul (Getty)
Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Eastern the Golden State Warriors look to become the first team to 40 wins this season as they host the L.A. Clippers. Golden State is 39-7 on the season, and Steve Kerr’s team opened as 14-point favorites to win tonight’s game according to OddsShark. Since then the line has dropped, with most sports books having the Warriors favored by 11.5 points and a couple with 12-point spreads.
As for the point total, which opened at 226.5, that’s dropped to anywhere from 221.5 to 223 points depending on the sports book. Most books have a total of 222.5 points, with OddsShark predicting a final score of 123-100 in favor of the home team.
Golden State, for as good as it’s been straight up this season, is just 22-23-1 against the spread this season. But it should be noted that Golden State is 6-1 in its last seven games ATS. At home, the Warriors are 12-11 ATS on the season. In their last ten games in which they’ve been favored by ten points or more, Golden State is 3-7 ATS. 19-27 with the OVER this season, Golden State has lost six straight and eight of their last nine with the OVER.
The Clippers, a team still without starting point guard Chris Paul, are 30-17 straight up and 23-24 ATS this season. Doc Rivers’ team has dropped three of its last four games straight up and ATS, and on the road the Clippers are just 9-14 ATS on the season. They’ve had more success when it comes to the point total, with the Clippers being 25-22 with the OVER this season. However, the Clippers are 4-6 with the OVER in their last ten games.
The other key personnel issue entering the game is the status of Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who was listed as questionable with a quad injury. Curry will play; the question is how effective he’ll be.
PREDICTION: Warriors -11.5 with the UNDER. No Paul is a significant issue for the Clippers, especially when considering the offensive juggernaut (that’s also good defensively) that they’re up against. Look for the Warriors to take care of business in a game that won’t be as high-scoring as the sports books predict.
