Warriors vs. Clippers Prediction, Odds and Best Prop Bets for NBA Play-In Tournament

Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers closed out the regular season with a win over the Golden State Warriors and now the two teams will face off again on Wednesday night in the play-in tournament.

Los Angeles (the No. 9 seed in the West) squandered a lead on the No. 8 seed at the end of the regular season, losing two games to the Portland Trail Blazers (the No. 8 seed) to push themselves down into the No. 10 vs. No. 9 game.

This is extremely significant since L.A. now has to win two games in a row just to get the No. 8 spot to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers are favored at home on Wednesday, but they’ll have to go on the road (if they win) on Friday to earn the No. 8 seed.

Still, the Clippers completely turned around a 6-21 start to the season, winning 36 of their final 55 games. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they’re expected to beat a banged-up Warriors team on Wednesday.

Golden State has lost Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody for the rest of the season (and beyond), and it had to survive a 27-game stretch without Steph Curry. A knee injury cost Curry almost the entire second half of the season, though he returned to play in four of the team’s final five games. Golden State was just 1-3 in those matchups, a sign that it’s far from contending for a playoff spot even with the two-time league MVP in the lineup.

Since the All-Star break, the Warriors are just 8-19, and it’s hard to see them winning two play-in games without Curry going absolutely nuclear in both. A big game on Sunday (24 points in less than 30 minutes) was not enough to lead Golden State to a win.

So, how should we bet on this matchup?

First, let’s take a look at the odds, a player prop to bet, each team’s injury report before I dive into my prediction for this play-in showdown.

Warriors vs. Clippers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Warriors +5.5 (-115)
Clippers -5.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Warriors: +170
Clippers: -205

Total

220.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Warriors vs. Clippers How to Watch

Date: Wednesday, April 15
Time: 10:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Intuit Dome
How to Watch (TV): Prime Video
Warriors record: 37-45
Clippers record: 42-40

Warriors vs. Clippers Injury Reports

Warriors Injury Report

Jimmy Butler – out
Moses Moody – out
Quinten Post – out

Clippers Injury Report

Isaiah Jackson – questionable
Bradley Beal – out
Yanic Konan Niederhauser – out

Warriors vs. Clippers Best NBA Prop Bets

Warriors Best NBA Prop Bet

Steph Curry OVER 3.5 3-Pointers Made (-152)

Warriors star Steph Curry has made four or more shots from deep in three of his four games since returning to the lineup, and the star guard is extremely undervalued in this market. The greatest shooter of all time almost always is set at 4.5 3-pointers or higher, so I’m jumping on the OVER in this market.

Curry finished the regular season averaging 4.4 made 3-pointers, knocking down 39.3 percent of his attempts overall. He should see a slightly expanded role on Wednesday after playing less than 30 minutes in each of his first four games back in the lineup.

The Clippers are just 22nd in the NBA in opponent 3-point percentage and in the bottom half in the NBA in opponent 3-pointers made per game. I will gladly back Curry – who was 4-for-9 from deep in Sunday’s matchup against L.A.

Warriors vs. Clippers Prediction and Pick

The Warriors struggled on the road all season long, going 11 games under .500 and just 9-11 against the spread when set as road underdogs.

That makes it really tough to trust this Golden State team – even with Curry back in action – in a playoff-level matchup. The Warriors were 18-37 against teams that finished the regular season .500 or better, and the Clippers beat them in the final game of the regular season.

Los Angeles doesn’t have a ton of depth, but Leonard and Darius Garland have formed an elite duo on the offensive end of the floor. With Curry still working his way back from injury, Golden State doesn’t have a secondary player to lean on offensively.

The Clippers were under .500 against the spread as home favorites in the regular season, but I think they're worth a look at this discounted number against a Golden State team that has won just eight games since the All-Star break.

Pick: Clippers -5.5 (-105 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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