Game Time: 10:30 PM ET, Monday, February 14th, 2022 

Venue:  Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center), Los Angeles, California

Where to Watch:  NBA TV

DraftKings:  Spread:  Warriors -5.5

BetMGM:  Spread:  NL

VegasInsider:  Spread:  Warriors -5.5

WynnBet: Spread:  NL

Warriors: 42-15, 2nd place Western Conference

Clippers: 28-30, 8th place Western Conference

A Western Conference battle!  A West Coast matchup with beautiful weather outside and a city wide Super Bowl hangover to contend with.  This Valentine's Day and day after the Super Bowl will be a test for the Warriors.  Can they contend with all the distraction of being in a party city the night before and being away from home on the wife or girlfriends big day.  It seems silly but those are real distractions.  Every year stories float out of locker rooms about young guys who imbibed too much at the Super Bowl party… and about veterans who are trying to make dinner reservations at halftime for an angry wife on Valentine’s Day… The fact that that day will hit on the same day could seriously cripple any team with a dose of low energy.  The Warriors are more vulnerable than the Clippers to this syndrome simply because of being on the road… of not having a homefield bed to collapse into… of not driving themselves to the arena… etc.  Is it silly?.. Not if you ask a veteran NBA coach.  

The Golden State Warriors stood pat at the trade deadline… they had to.  They already have a loaded team.  The starting five is familiar to every NBA fan, the young bench players are some of the best young players in the league.  Forward Jonathan Kuminga, the 7th pick in the 2021 draft,  is the real deal.  If he were on one of those terrible teams that start rookies and run the offense through them… he would have several huge games to show you.  On the Warriors surrounded by PG Stephen Curry, SG Klay Thompson, and PF Draymond Green… AND first time all-star starter SF Andrew Wiggins… Kuminga keeps showing us flashes of incredible athleticism and heads-up play.  The Warriors beat the Lakers in a close finish Saturday night (a game that SG Klay Thompson absolutely balled out for 33 points with 16 of them coming in the 4th quarter.) and in a pivotal play Kuminga flashed through the lane on a Warriors missed shot and in one motion rose for the rebound and slammed it back home.  Kuminga is fantastic and he isn’t yet in the top 6 of the rotation… This is a tough team.

The Los Angeles Clippers are doing a small mid-season rebuild.  They are missing their two all-star players SF Paul George and SG Kawhi Leonard… and what is left is a cagey good team.  Management thought that deserved a push.  They picked up SF Norman Powell from the Portland Trail Blazers who is well equipped to score the basketball and play the shooting guard as well. They also picked up SG/SF Rodney Hood, PF Robert Covington, and forward Semi Ojeleye… in the flurry of moves that also created a trade exception worth up to $9.7 million which means they can be active in the buyout market. The signal is clear… the stars may not be back this season, but the Clippers won’t allow that to give up on a team built for a strong playoff push.  

The Warriors have won 8 of their last 10 games and are firmly the second best team in the NBA behind the Phoenix Suns.  The two losses were to the New York Knicks and the Utah Jazz… which is exactly what the Clippers are hoping for right now.  The Warriors lose only when something is out of place… that out of place thing right now is PF Draymond Green being on the injured list with a calf injury.  It is notable to point out that the losses were against two strong big men that Draymond would be helping out on defense.  Draymond is the glue guy for this team and at the moment they are asking Otto Porter Jr and Kevon Looney to supply the glue… those are good players… but neither is Draymond defensively.

The Clippers have won 5 of their last 10 games.  That plucky roster led by PG Reggie Jackson and anchored by quality Center Ivica Zubac really has to play well to pick up wins.  They are also waiting for the reinforcements to pick up the pace and get in uniform.  Niramn Powell has already played and dropped 28 points in his debut… but is now Questionable with a case of turf toe.  Team Owner Steve Ballmer, the richest owner in the NBA and maybe all of sports, is learning a tough lesson about building a roster. Just because you can spend the money doesn’t mean the players will be worth the money.  If Norman Powell sits out this game with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard… that will be $100 million in salary  this season on the bench for the Clippers. 

Al McMordie is a respected name in Sport's picks... he has picked NBA games for over 30 years and he can find you the most likely outcome in almost any game!   Hop on board right now! Get on it! Go get it! Get Big Al’s picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. NCAAF, NFL, MLB, college football… get positive value from all your bets! Expert picks!  Fun fact… winning a wager is much better than making a wager!

The Warriors are 42-15 on the season, but 29-24-4 ATS.  They have logged 23 Overs, 33 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are 16-10 on the road.

The Clippers are 28-30 on the season, but 27-31 ATS.  They have notched 28 Overs, 29 Unders, and 1 Push.  They are a quality 16-13 in home games.

The Warriors are 12th in scoring with 110.6 ppg, 5th in rebounds with 46.1 per game, and 12th in AST/TO ratio with 1.8. They are 3rd on defense while holding opponents to a really low 103.2 ppg.

The Clippers are 25th in scoring with 106.3, 24th in rebounds with 43.7 per game, and 22nd in AST/TO ratio with 1.7.  They are 13th on defense while allowing 107.8 ppg… Marcus Morris SR and Reggie Jackson may not be celebrated for their offense but they can definitely play defense.

Our prediction for Monday, February 14th is…. Warriors 115 - Clippers 100

I wanted to give you an underdog.  But the spread is only 5.5.  The Clippers will also be waiting for Norman Powell to recover from turf toe.  It’s a simple overmatch.  All that stuff about Valentine’s day on the road and too much to drink during Super Bowl Sunday… won’t fix that 4 of the 5 best players on the court at the opening tip will be suited up for the Spurs… and if Zubac is better than Looney at Center… He isn’t Jokic better… He isn’t Embiid better… He is barely better than Nurkic. 

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NBA Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com. Just click on Shop Picks for our Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to

join for a week or a month. And if you enjoyed this Warriors/Clippers Preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.  Get help with all your college football picks, National Football league, NCAA brackets, or any prop bets on your season schedule. 

Golden State is 26-15 ATS vs poor offensive teams (scoring less than 108 ppg) over last 2 seasons.
Golden State is 58 Over and 39 Under when playing against a team with a losing record last 3 seasons.
Golden State is 31-24 ATS versus the Clippers since 1996.

Warriors: PF Draymond Green (calf) Out ** C James Wiseman (knee) Out

Clippers: SF Paul George (elbow) Out ** SF Norman Powell (toe) Quest ** SG Kawhi Leonard (knee) Out indefinitely ** PF Semi Ojeleye (acquired) Quest

Warriors: PF Jonathan Kuminga, SF Andrew Wiggins, C Kevon Looney, SG Klay Thompson, PG Stephen Curry

Clippers: PF Marcus Morris SR, SF Nicholas Batum, C Ivica Zubac, PG Raggie Jackson, SG Terence Mann

Warriors

Points: Stephen Curry 25.7

Assists: Draymond Green 7.4

Rebounds: Kevon Looney 7.6

Steals: Stephen Curry 1.4

Blocks: Draymond Green 1.2

Clippers

Points: Paul George 24.7

Assists: Paul George 5.5

Rebounds: Ivica Zubac 7.9

Steals: Paul George 2.0

Blocks: Isaiah Hartenstein 1.1

Warriors: Steve Kerr

Clippers: Tyronne Lue