To say that the Los Angeles Clippers won in Game 2 is a big understatement. They blew out the Golden State Warriors in every way possible after losing Game 1, and are now looking to embarrass the Warriors in front of their fans in Game 3. Can the Clippers pound Golden State anew, or will the Warriors recover from a nightmarish Game 2 loss and retake the series lead?
[sc:NBAArticles ]Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors Round 1, Game 3 Betting Preview
Series Schedule & Results
Game 1 – April 19, Golden State 109 Los Angeles 105
Game 2 – April 21, 7:00PM ET, Golden State 98 Los Angeles 138
Game 3 – April 24, 10:30PM ET, Los Angeles (-1.5) at Golden State (+1.5); total 214.0 – view all NBA lines
Game 4 – April 27, 2:00PM ET, Los Angeles at Golden State
Game 5– April 29, 8:00 PM ET, Golden State at Los Angeles
Game 6 (if necessary) – May 1, Los Angeles at Golden State
Game 7 (if necessary) – May 3, Golden State at Los Angeles
Betting on the Los Angeles Clippers
[sc:NBA240banner ]The LA Clippers wanted to make a big statement after their Game 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors. That statement came in the form of a 40-point bludgeoning of the Warriors in Game 2, 138-98. It was the most points scored in the postseason by the Clippers in franchise history.
Blake Griffin bounced back strong after being limited to 19 minutes due to foul trouble in Game 1, pouring in a playoff career-high 35 points in an amazing display of offensive efficiency. Griffin shot 13-17 from the field and was near flawless from the free throw line, going 9-10.
Any team that shoots as well as the Clippers did in Game 2 is going to be hard to stop. The Clippers went 12-25 from three and 47-83 (56.6%) overall from the floor.
Chris Paul (12 points, 10 assists) had a field day orchestrating the smooth-running offense of the Clippers, which greatly benefited from having significant use of its stars after seeing their playing time limited in the first game due to foul trouble. Griffin wasn’t assessed a single foul, while Paul, who had five in Game 1, only got tagged with three in Game 2.
The Clippers must play the same kind of honest defense in Game 3, and should not let the physicality of the series throw them off balance. Golden State thrives in situations where they get under the skin of the Clippers.
They now make a short trip to Golden State for Game 3. The Clippers are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five road games. They also went over the line in all of those games.
Betting on the Golden State Warriors
The euphoria that gripped the Warriors after their upset win over the Clippers in Game 1 was replaced with dejection after the embarrassment they suffered at the hands of their rivals in Game 2. The loss also halted the Warriors’ streak of successful covers. They are now 5-1 ATS in their last six games.
Game 2 saw a reversal of fortunes for both teams. This time, the Warriors were the ones who got hampered by foul troubles to their stars. Beset by four fouls each, Stephen Curry scored 24 points, 20 of which came in the third period when the game was practically out of hand, while Klay Thompson only contributed seven points.
Aside from keeping their fouls in check, the Warriors need to limit their turnovers as this series rolls on. They had 26 turnovers in Game 2, which the Clippers converted into 27 points.
The Warriors play in their first postseason home game on Thursday. They are 3-1 SU and ATS in their last four at Oracle Arena.
Writer’s Prediction
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will combine for their biggest point total thus far in the series in Game 3 to keep the score close, but the Clippers are going to win this game, covering -1.5.
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