Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 3/8/2022

Time: 10 p.m. ET

Venue: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA

Where to watch: TNT

DraftKings: Check back later

BetMGM: Check back later

Caesars: Check back later

Clippers: 34-32

Warriors: 43-22

A good sign for the Golden State Warriors having rested everybody on Monday night to go full nuclear on the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.

 

That should be the plan considering how rough it’s been over the past few weeks for the Warriors. There just hasn’t been that type of urgency facing Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and co. over the last number of games.

 

There’s a lot to take away from that. One is that Thompson is still rounding into form when it comes to recovering from his Achilles injury. I think the Warriors desperately want to get back to form and that includes having Thompson be at the ready at all times.

 

And that was no different than when the Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday in what was another vintage LeBron James performance with 56 points in a much-needed win for L.A.

 

But as it pertains to the Warriors, they didn’t necessarily care if they lost that game, but to lose against such a bad Lakers team right now, in that fashion, did not help matters when it came to finding footing against nuclear LeBron. And that’s not a bad thing on most nights, but it is something to be weary of when it comes to how this team is getting to the playoffs.

 

Curry finished with 30 points

 

''He's obviously such a handful coming downhill, and then when he gets his 3-point shot going like he did in the second half, makes it pretty difficult to try and guard him,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''He was brilliant tonight. LeBron was amazing.''

 

The good news for Golden State is the return of Draymond Green is on the horizon. Green, the former Defensive Player of the Year, has been out due to injury and his return will give Golden State a full-working lineup – with the exception of a few players – for the first time in a while.

 

The Warriors are coming off a 131-124 loss against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, in which almost every starter sat due to rest. That included Curry, Thompson and Gary Payton II. Getting those guys back into the fold for this game is going to be a nightmarish situation for the Clippers. Nevertheless, it was Golden State's fifth straight loss.

 

And it’s not like Los Angeles has been horrible this season. There’s only so much a team can do without Paul George or Kawhi Leonard in the lineup. This has been such a long season that we tend to forget about those two when we really shouldn’t. But all in all, the lineup  thethat is carrying them to the finish line.

 

It’s hard to find an actual leader on this team without Leonard and George, but the consensus would have to be Reggie Jackson, right? I mean, usually when there are big buckets needed at the right time, he’s there to provide them. Jackson finished with just 10 points on 4 of 18 shooting in the Clippers' last game, a 116-93 loss against the New York Knicks.

 

"They played well and we played bad," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. "With that combination you'll get a 30-point blowout. They were starving for a win."

 

But despite Los Angeles’ valiant effort for most of this season, trying to find any consistency against great teams remains an issue to no fault of their own. It’s difficult to actually like the Clippers in this game, especially on the road, against a team that might be very angry at this point.

 

I’m of the mindset that the Warriors are not bad. I know, hard to say, but when it comes to the actual understanding that the Warriors are even this good despite Thompson being out for the majority of the season. Of course it’s going to take some time, but I can’t wait to see how this group responds in the playoffs. First thing’s first; they need to take care of business against bad teams like the Clippers, and I see no reason why they can’t get it done. Warriors by 15

PG: Reggie Jackson

SG: Terance Mann

SF: Marcus Morris Sr.

PF: Nicolas Batum

C: Ivica Zubac

PG: Steph Curry

SG: Gary Payton II

SF: Klay Thompson

PF: Andrew Wiggins

C: Kevon Looney

The Clippers are 509-528 ATS since 1996 when playing on the road.

The under is 10-2 when the Clippers are coming off an upset loss.

The Warriors are 16-22 ATS the past three seasons against division opponents.

Points: Reggie Jackson -- 16.9

Rebounds: Ivica Zubac -- 8.2

Assists: Reggie Jackson -- 4.7

Points: Steph Curry -- 25.8

Rebounds: Kevon Looney -- 7.5

Assists: Steph Curry -- 6.4