The last time the Golden State Warriors stepped foot in the Staples Center against the Clippers, they lost a heart-breaking Game 7 in last year’s playoffs. This season, the Warriors have been soaring with the best record in the NBA, but back-to-back road losses, including one at Staples against the Lakers, has them falling back down to earth.
Can the Clippers give the rest of the West a fine present by sending the Warriors to their third-straight road defeat on Christmas Day? Read on for our preview of this Christmas showcase below.
For more NBA Christmas action, click here for our preview of LeBron James’ return to South Beach as his Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Miami Heat.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers Betting Preview
Where: STAPLES Center, Los Angeles
When: Thursday, December 25, 2014, 10:30PM ET
Line: Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Golden State Warriors
Regression is slowly starting to set in on the Golden State Warriors and it’s hitting them hard on the road. The Warriors have lost their last two road games – 105-98 against the Grizzlies and 115-105 against a Kobe-less Lakers. Their league-best defense allowed LA to shoot 52 percent from the field and 12-for-26 from three-point range.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Meanwhile, their offense completely collapsed outside of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The Splash Brothers combined for 40 points on 16-for-29 shooting, while the rest of the team had just 65, most coming in garbage time.
The offense had an off-night, but there shouldn’t be much to worry about with that facet of their game. The Warriors were averaging 110.3 points per 100 possessions in their last 10 games prior to that loss. Curry and Thompson have been playing particularly great ball, both averaging 23 points per game in that span.
The defense may be a bit of a concern, though. Center Andrew Bogut, their defensive lynchpin, has been out of the lineup for the last eight games due to his knee issues. During that stretch, the Warriors are giving up 49 points in the paint per game (the third-most in the league), way up from their season average of 42.
Betting on the Los Angeles Clippers
It’s been a rough last couple of weeks for the Clippers, who have lost five of their last eight games. Granted, all of those losses have come on the road, a couple of which have come against tough teams in Washington and San Antonio. Meanwhile, their losses at Milwaukee and Atlanta came on the second night of a back-to-back.
But even their wins haven’t been particularly impressive. They beat Indiana by just two points and Milwaukee by four, both at home. As a result, the Clippers are just 2-8 against the spread in their last 10 games.
They’re still scoring the ball at impressive rate, averaging 110.2 per 100 possessions in their last eight games, fifth-best in the league during that time. It’s been the defense that’s been lacking. Their 108.9 Defensive Rating is sixth-worst in the last eight games.
Defending the three-pointer has been an issue for the Clippers all season and it’s been magnified in their slump. Opponents are shooting a sizzling 41.9 percent from beyond the arc, the worst three-point defense in the league in the last eight games. That’s a bad sign, especially with sharpshooters Curry and Thompson coming to town.
But if the Clippers are to break out of their slump, they’ll do it at home, where have been a markedly better team. They’re 11-3 thus far at Staples Center and have won seven games in a row. They also have a 7.5 point differential at home, the sixth-best mark in the NBA.
Writer’s Prediction
The Clippers take care of business at home as they win and cover against the road-weary Warriors. Create a betting account now to get wagering on more exciting battles between the NBA elite.
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