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NBA Betting – Golden State Warriors at L.A. Clippers

Zack Garrison

by Zack Garrison in News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:40 AM PST

Golden State Warriors (-2, 214 o/u) at Los Angeles Clippers

A heated rivalry takes center stage tonight when the Golden State Warriors (60-13, 26-11 away), visit the L.A. Clippers (49-25, 27-10 home) at the STAPLES Center (10:30 PM Eastern).

Golden State has the best record in the league and has already sewn up top spot in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs. The Warriors sealed first place by taking 14 of their last 15 games (including nine straight).

The team is taken the first three games in its current four-game road trip against Portland, Memphis, and Milwaukee. Steph Curry has led the team in scoring in all three outings.

“Wins and losses might not matter when it comes to the standings, but we want to win as many games as possible, and we want to feel good about how we’re going into the playoffs,” Curry said. “That’s the test for us over these next nine games.”

The Warriors can make it a perfect 4-0 road swing tonight against the division rival Clippers, who ousted Golden State in last year’s playoffs.

But L.A. comes into the game almost as hot as Golden State, currently riding a seven-game win streak. The run largely coincided with the return of star forward Blake Griffin from an elbow operation.

In their last game, the Clippers breezed past the Celtics 119-106 in Boston. Griffin had a strong outing with 21 points and nine boards, but L.A. got contributions from a number of sources, including sharpshooting guard J.J. Redick (27 points on 11/15 shooting), Chris Paul (21 points and ten assists), Deandre Jordan (15 points and 14 rebounds), and Matt Barnes (18 points and seven boards).

“Our offensive execution is amazing, and our defense has held teams to 16- and 18-point quarters,” Chris Paul said after the win. “With Blake back, he makes us that much more dangerous and you have to pick your poison.”

The bad news for the Clippers is that Griffin is currently listed as day-to-day after re-injuring his elbow on Sunday against Boston. But the former Oklahoma Sooner is expected to suit up tonight.

The Warriors are two-point favorites despite playing away from home, and the game total is at 214.  Keep in mind the home team has won the last seven games in this series. But also consider that the Clippers are just 16-21 ATS at home on the year (versus 18-18 ATS for the Warriors on the road).

(Photo credit: Verse Photography (Flickr: 20131118 ClippersvGrizzles27) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)

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