Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors Predictions, Odds, Picks

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

6 minute read

Oct. 21, 2021

Michael Crosson
VI Betting Expert
VegasInsider.com

Western Conference NBA action will conclude on Thursday night with a compelling nightcap between the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. Coverage begins at 10:10 p.m ET on TNT.

Score Prediction

Clippers 117, Warriors 111

Best Bets

Clippers +3

Paul George (LAC/SF) - Over Points

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors Predictions

After dropping a pair of heart breakers to the Lakers and Grizzlies during last year’s Play-In Tournament, Golden State should feel pretty good about its opening effort of the season at the STAPLES Center – considering the Warriors traveled to L. A. for a rematch against the new-look Lakers on Tuesday night, and cruised to a relatively straightforward victory in their first event (W, 121-114).

For their second act, Golden State will square off against another elite Los Angeles squad in the Clippers – but the outlook appears much different this time around, considering the Warriors currently stand as three-point home favorites over Paul George and company on Thursday night.

On the other hand, Thursday night will be the Clippers’ first matchup of the new season, as most squads will head to the weekend gearing up for their third or fourth matchup of the year – while L. A. will just be getting set for its second.

A well-rested Clippers team is never a bad thing though, considering L. A. appeared to be a legitimate title-contender at times throughout last year’s postseason – but ultimately, fell victim to the dreaded injury bug, which led to them completely running out of gas towards the end of their WCF matchup against Phoenix.

I’ll take the points with L. A. here, as despite the absence of Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers still strung together some excellent performances down the stretch against the Jazz and Suns last year – and I still think they stand as the superior team ahead of Thursday night’s matchup.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors Betting Odds

More Odds | Futures Odds

Odds Provided by DraftKings - Subject to Change

• Clippers +130
• Warriors -150
• Clippers +3 (-110)
• Warriors -3 (-110)
• Over 225.5 (-110)
• Under 225.5 (-110)

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors Betting Resources

• Matchup: Pacific
• Date: Thursday, October 21, 2021
• Venue: Chase Center
• Location: San Francisco, California
• TV-Time: TNT - 10:00 p.m. ET

• Weather Report
• Injury Report

Los Angeles Clippers Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

Last 30 Games

• SU: 21-9
• ATS: 17-12-1
• O/U: 11-18-1

Many bettors simply wrote off L. A. following Kawhi’s devastating knee injury in the second round of last year’s playoffs – but it turns out, the Clippers are still excellent without him, as Ty Lue’s squad decisively handled business against Utah for the remainder of that series, and then hung in with Phoenix for the length of a competitive six-game set.

Even without Leonard on the floor, L. A. comfortably outplayed the Jazz down the stretch of last year’s postseason matchup – and while Golden State clearly stands as a much different squad than Utah, I expect the Clippers to utilize their significant rest advantage to topple the Warriors on the road this Thursday.

Golden State Warriors Betting Analysis

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

2021-22 Stats

• SU: 1-0
• ATS: 1-0
• O/U: 1-0
• ATS - Home: 0-0
• ATS - Away: 1-0

After posting a pair of frustrating losses in last year’s Play-In Tournament, the Warriors finally claimed vengeance as they traveled to L. A. and stunned the new-look Lakers on opening night – which is something Golden State can do in any given matchup due to three-point marksmanship wielded by its backcourt.

It was somewhat tricky to tell if the result of Tuesday night’s affair was primarily due to a solid performance by the Warriors – or a bad performance by the Lakers though.

Personally, I somewhat lean with the latter – as aside from the combined magnificent efforts of LeBron James and Anthony Davis on Tuesday night (67 PTS, 57.1% FG), the rest of the Lakers generated just 47 points on 36.9% from the field, with Russell Westbrook leading the charge with a dismal 4-13 shooting effort.

The Golden State Warriors are coming off a road win as underdogs, but now return home in the favorites role instead. (AP)

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors Head-to-Head

The Clippers won two-of-three regular-season meetings against the Warriors last year, as L. A. and Golden State split a pair of highly competitive contests at the Chase Center – while the Clippers won their lone home matchup in blowout fashion.

The total for Thursday night’s affair is currently stationed just north of OU 225 at most shops – which is a number these teams easily cruised over in two-of-three matchups last year.

Key Players to Watch

2020-21 Stats

• LAC: Paul George - SG (23.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 5.2 apg)
• LAC: Reggie Jackson - PG (10.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.1 apg)

2021-22 Stats

• GSW: Steph Curry - PG (21 ppg, 10 rpg, 10 apg)
• GSW: Jordan Poole - SG (20 ppg, 2 rpg, 3 apg)

Injuries

• LAC: Serge Ibaka - C (Out)
• LAC: Kawhi Leonard - SF (Out)
• LAC: Nicolas Batum - PF (Out)
• LAC: Keon Johnson - SG (Out)
• GSW: Jonathan Kuminga - (Out)

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors Betting Conclusion

After pulling off an impressive road upset against the Lakers on opening night (W, 121-114), the Warriors will head back to San Francisco for their home-opener as three-point favorites over the visiting Clippers – as L. A. will be forced to start the new season without Kawhi at the helm of its offensive attack.

I’ll take the points with L. A. here though, as the Clippers played some excellent basketball during Leonard’s absence in the waning days of last year’s playoffs – and I think they’ll take care of business on the road in their season-opener, which is why I’m also backing George’s points over in Thursday’s affair.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors Betting Trends

• Los Angeles has covered the spread in three of its last four games when facing Golden State.
• Los Angeles has won four of its last five games when facing Golden State.

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