The Golden State Warriors head to the City of Angels to take on the Los Angeles Clippers in Friday night NBA action at the Staples Center.
It took quite long but the Golden State Warriors have taken the driver’s seat again in the Western Conference. The Dubs dropped the Nuggets earlier this week to overtake Denver as the #1 team in their conference. That’s bad news for their rivals in the West because the Dubs are expected to parade DeMarcus Cousins starting Friday night.
The Warriors already have four all-stars in their line-up and having Cousins gives them five. Steph Curry leads the way with 29.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.4 steals per game. Kevin Durant is next at 28.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists. Add Klay Thompson who is averaging 21.8 points per game and Draymond Green who is averaging 7.3 assists per game and you have one of the best starting units we have ever seen.
The Warriors have overtaken the Bucks as the top scoring team in the league at 118.6 points per game. The Dubs are also first in passing at 28.8 assists per game and 9th of the glass at 46.5 rebounds per contest. If there’s a weakness right now, it’s the Warriors’ scoring defense which only ranks 19th in the NBA at 111.7 points per game allowed.
The young Los Angeles Clippers were heralded for their strong play in the first half of the season. But all the fuss has turned to flux lately as the Clippers have won just four out of their last 10 games and have lost four in a row heading to this contest. And it’s not just that the Clippers have lost four straight, they’ve done so with an average losing margin of 12.5 points per game.
Tobias Harris leads the Clippers with 20.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Danilo Gallinari is averaging 19.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while Lou Williams continues to wax hot from the bench with 18.7 points and 4.9 assists. Montrezl Harrell has been a revelation with 15.9 points and 6.8 rebounds for the Clippers.
The Clippers rank 5th in the NBA in scoring at 115.2 points per game this season. Los Angeles is also 22nd in passing with 23.0 assists per game and they are also ranked 14th off the glass with 45.5 rebounds per game. The Clippers are giving up an average of 114.3 points per game putting them at 24th among 30 teams.
Golden State is 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played. The Dubs are 5-0 SU in their last five games played. Los Angeles is 4-6 SU in their last 10 games played. The Clippers are 2-5 SU in their last seven home games. Head to head, the Warriors are 8-2 SU in their last 10 meetings against the Clippers.
This isn’t a good time to play the defending champions. Golden State is on a roll right now and DeMarcus Cousins is going to start playing for them. Golden State has won eight out of their last 10 games overall and they have won five in a row on the road. Their last road win was a 142-111 annihilation of the erstwhile Western Conference leaders Denver Nuggets.
The Clippers have fallen on hard times as they have limped to four wins in their last 10 games played. Los Angeles heads to this game having lost four in a row and are coming off a 20 point loss to the Utah Jazz. The Clippers are 14-9 SU at home but the Dubs are 13-8 on the road. Golden State is also 30-10 SU as favorites while the Clippers are only 5-13 SU as underdogs this season.
I’m expecting another hot shooting night from Steph Curry and company. When that teams gets hot, there’s really no stopping the Warriors. We’re picking the Golden State Warriors to beat the Los Angeles Clippers on 1/18/19.
The Warriors are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 games played. Golden State is 3-2 ATS in their last five road games. The Clippers are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played. Los Angeles is 2-5 ATS in their last seven home games. Head to head, the Clippers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games against the Warriors.
The Warriors are 3-1-1 in their last five games after scoring more than 100 points in their previous game. The Dubs are also 5-1 ATS in their last Friday games and 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games overall. Meanwhile, the Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games after an SU loss and also 1-4 in their last five games against teams with winning SU records. Overall, Los Angeles is 0-4 in their last four games played. The Warriors have flexed their muscles and with Boogie set to join the team, the Warriors will be tougher to beat than ever. They have not played well against the spread but 6 points may be to small a spread for a team that’s on fire right now. Prediction: Warriors -6
The over is 7-3 in the Warriors’ last 10 games played. The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by the Dubs. The under is 7-3 in the Clippers’ last 10 games played. The under is 4-3 in the last seven games of the Clippers at Staples Center. Head to head, the over is 9-1 in their last 10 meetings overall
The over is 4-0 in the last four games between these teams at Staples Center and 9-0 in their last nine games overall. The Warriors have scored at least 142 points in three out of their last four games and have averaged 135.2 points per game in their last five games played. Golden State’s on a roll right now and there’s no stopping them from scoring points. Prediction: Over 241.5
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