The Los Angeles Clippers weren’t supposed to be the better LA team this season, but that has been the case. And they got a playoff ticket to back that claim. But can they prove that they’re more than just tourists in the postseason? They have the mighty Golden State Warriors in the first round, so the Clippers need all hands on deck (and lots of luck) to survive past that round. The Clippers and the Warriors are +20,000 to and -200 to win the NBA Finals, respectively.
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Betting Preview for the Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors NBA Playoff Round 1 Game on April 13, 2019
Where: ORACLE Arena, Oakland
When: Saturday, April 13, 2019, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Los Angeles Clippers (odds) vs. Golden State Warriors (odds) –view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Los Angeles Clippers (48-34)
The Clippers ended the regular season on a high note, beating the also playoff-bound Utah Jazz at home on Wednesday in overtime, 143-137. Ivica Zubac led the Clippers starters with 22 points and 11 rebounds to go with three blocks and two assists. Montrezl Harrell came off the bench and fired 24 points. That has been the dominant narrative this season for the Clippers – non-elite/franchise players taking the lead on an almost regular basis. Among them is guard Patrick Beverley, whose defense could be the single most telling factor that could determine how far the Clippers will go in a series against the defending champions. Slowing down Stephen Curry can look impossible at times, but if there’s a guard capable of doing that, it’s Beverley, who can get under opponents’ skins and take them out of their elements. The Clippers beat Golden State once in three meetings this season, scoring a 121-116 home win over Dub Nation way back in November.
The Clippers, who averaged 115.1 points per game in the regular season, are 6-3-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 trips away from home.
Betting on the Golden State Warriors (57-25)
Golden State is coming off a 132-117 road loss to the Memphis Grizzles during the final daty of the regular season, but does that really matter? The Warriors are still the Warriors and will come into the playoffs fully loaded and fully motivated to defend their title. As gritty as the Clippers are, Golden State just looks like its headed to destroying LA. For one, the Warriors have won the last three games against the Clippers by an average margin of 15.7 points. The Warriors’ offense is on a level of its own when everyone on the team is locked in. They finished the regular season second with 117.7 points per game and tops in effective field goal percentage with a 56.5 clip. So good is the Warriors’ offense that it makes the team’s defense among the most overlooked in the league. In fact, since the All-Star break, the lineup of Curry, DeMarcus Cousins, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant have surrendered just 95.1 points per 100 possessions – the best in the league in that span.
The Warriors are 3-1 ATS in their last four home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Golden State wins, 121-109.
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