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The Golden State Warriors will attempt to go 2-1 up on the Clippers when they travel to LA for Game 3 of this Western Conference first round series.
The Clippers (8th seed) pulled off a monumental upset a couple of nights ago in Oakland, coming back from a 31 point third quarter deficit to defeat the Warriors and tie the series. The Clippers, which overachieved by making the playoffs, were given few chances to win a game in this series by most experts – but they have now stolen one on the road, and a win tonight would make this tie a legit contest.
The Warriors (1st seed) were maybe a bit below their best for most of the regular season, but that was to be expected due to lack of motivation. They were expected to click once the playoffs started, and they seemed to do just that by winning Game 1 easily over the Clippers, and completely dominating Game 2 until collapsing in the middle of the third quarter. A bounce back win is mandatory now for Golden State, as they surely do not want to prolong this series more than 5 games. They need their rest for the more difficult playoff matchups coming next.
Bet on Clippers v Warriors and get a 100% (120 Eur) welcome bonus at LSbet now!Team news: The Clippers are at full health, while the Warriors will miss Demarcus Cousins (out for the season after sustaining an injury early in Game 2).
The Warriors were beating up the Clippers like a rag doll for 6 quarters of this series. In Game 2 on Wednesday they were cruising towards a huge win, until the unthinkable happened, and they lost that 31 point second half advantage.
However, that collapse can not be taken as a sign of anything, really, aside from giving extra motivation to the Warriors. It was no less than a miracle which only happens once in a lifetime. In fact, it was the biggest ever comeback in NBA playoffs history!
The Warriors should get back to dominating the Clippers (as they always do, having won 17 of the last 20 H2H meetings), especially now that they have been put on notice. That Wednesday loss and especially the way it happened surely must be the perfect wake up call the Warriors need to stop messing around and get down to business for the rest of the playoffs. Surely this time around they will play at full intensity the entire game, and will not underestimate the Clippers.
A hurt, motivated Warriors side is a scary proposition for any team in the league, and this is exactly the kind of game in which they usually play their best. They always raise their level in statement games like this one, and they always bounce back after losses.
Backing the Warriors to cover seems like a good bet. The problem is that the handicap is indeed pretty high at 8.5 points. But after what happened Wednesday, the Warriors will surely not take their foot off the gas this time around no matter how big their lead is, so that is a good argument for them to cover even this large spread.
My tip will be Golden State to cover the 8 point (asian) handicap. If you can only find the standard 8.5 line that works as well, but I would lower the stakes a bit, maybe go with 7 units instead of 8. Prediction: LA Clippers – Golden State Warriors 105 – 125.
Pick: Warriors -8
Odds: 1.86 @ Unibet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 6.88
Event date: 19 April
