Multiple Las Vegas books opened Golden State as the 1-point favorite for tonight's game at the Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT), but the line has swung in L.A.'s direction and the home side is the 3-point favorite as of delivery of this newsletter.
Concerns about the Warriors failing to play up to their Vegas rating are long gone, as the team has covered seven straight games, including in easy road wins over Portland and Memphis. They've won 13 of their last 14 games -- and the loss came when they rested several starters at Denver.
The Clippers are pretty hot themselves, winning seven straight games and covering five of their last six. The run is directly correlated with the return of Blake Griffin.
While the opportunity to take Golden State as an underdog has to be enticing to plenty of gamblers, the Clippers figure to have a motivational edge tonight. While the Warriors have clinched the No. 1 seed in the West, L.A. is in fifth place, just 1.5 games back of second place Memphis.
The Warriors are 2-1 SU and 1-2 ATS against the Clippers this season, but the Clippers won the game in L.A., 100-86 as 2-point favorites.
Five of the Clippers' last six games have gone OVER the total, and while three of the Warriors' last four have stayed UNDER, their previous six all went OVER the total. But while Golden State and L.A. rank first and second in the NBA in points per game, the Warriors are 34-39 O/U this season and the Clippers are 36-27-1 O/U.
Draymond Green is questionable for Golden State, and Jamal Crawford remains out for L.A.
The Linemakers' lean: The home team has won the past seven meetings between these teams, dating back to last season's playoff series won by the Clippers. While the Warriors are arguably even hotter than the Clippers right now, tonight is the Warriors' toughest test during their current run, as it's the first time they've been underdogs with both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson playing since getting +3 on Feb. 26 at Cleveland (a 110-99 loss).
While the two most recent meetings between these foes stayed UNDER the total, the Clippers' current form has them playing fast and averaging 114 ppg in their last six games, five of which went OVER. Even with the home and motivational edges for L.A., this one is too tough to call, but OVER 215 looks like the best angle.
For our complete NBA betting preview for Tuesday, including a look at Spurs-Heat, head over to The Linemakers on Sporting News.
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