The first NBA Sunday of the new season brings us a few interesting matchups and one of them is a meeting between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers, scheduled for Monday, at 00:30 AM BST.
In this post, I'll take a closer look at the game, team news, and odds. I'll also provide a few betting predictions for it.
Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Clippers betting tips
- Handicap betting: Golden State Warriors to win (-9.5) @ 9/10
- Total points: Over 221.5 @ 9/10
- To score 20+ points: Norman Powell @ 11/10
All Warriors vs Clippers odds were taken from Paddy Power and are subject to change at any time.
Golden State Warriors to win with handicap (-9.5)
After the first two games in which Clippers proved they won't be an easy team to beat for anyone, it wasn't easy to decide on betting on the Warriors to cover the spread. However, the Warriors have been very convincing in their first two games of the season and they are a deeper, better team, that's also hosting the game.
On top of that, the Clippers come into this game after a tough battle with the Nuggets and playing back-to-back after spending so much energy the day before is never easy. All things considered, I feel that the Warriors have enough in them to secure another convincing win and start the season 3-0.
Over 221.5 total points
The Warriors have scored 127 and 140 points in their first two games, respectively, and while the Clippers have played very good defence to start the season, I feel they won't be able to stop the Warriors' free-flowing offense.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have scored over 100 in both of their games so far, so they should be able to do so against the Warriors too. Finally, all four duels between these two teams last season have gone over 2221.5 total points, so I expect that to be the case tonight too.
Norman Powell to score 20+ points
Powell comes into this game after a scorching performance against the Nuggets in Denver, where he scored 37 points. While this is not his career best, it is close. Powell is known as a prolific scorer, but he rarely has the spotlight since he's always been third or even the fourth option on a team.
However, with George leaving the Clippers and Leonard out, Powell is at the very least the second offensive option on the team right now, so he'll have plenty of opportunities to score a lot of points this season. While it is never easy to do well in back-to-back games, I feel Powell can keep his hot hand from yesterday and deliver another good performance and 20+ points isn't really that high of a mark to hit for him.
Warriors vs Clippers preview – teams news, injuries, and predicted lineups
The new Warriors era without splash brothers, well, at least without one of them since Klay Thompson has left for the Mavs, has started better than anyone could've expected, with a couple of convincing wins. Yes, those wins were earned against two of the weakest teams in the Western Conference, the Jazz and the Blazers, but still, it is a good sign for Golden State going forward.
These games prove that the Warriors are still a good team, a deep team, that can rely on their young players as well as their veterans like Curry and Green. On top of that, the Warriors currently have a clean bill of health.
The Warriors enter this match with a 2-0 record.
Warriors starting lineup: Curry, Wiggins, Jackson-Davis, Green, Kuminga
After a narrow, overtime loss to the Suns to start the season, the Clippers surprised the Nuggets in Denver last night, carried by Norman Powell's 37-point outing. The Clippers remain underdogs in the West, especially with Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely, but these two games have shown us that they won't go down easily against anyone.
In addition to Leonard, the LA team will also miss Mo Bamba and P.J. Tucker who are dealing with injuries.
The Clippers enter this match with a 1-1 record.
Clippers starting lineup: Harden, Mann, Powell, Jones, Zubac
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