Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Clippers Prediction: An important game for both teams

The NBA Regular Season is in its final stages and this has been a fascinating window as the last few Play-in and top-six Playoff spots are at stake. With the Postseason nearing, we have to look at the situation in the Western Conference where the standings from the third spot onwards. Two of those teams in the intense battle are the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers and they will meet here.

The Warriors completed a comeback win against the Trail Blazers 123:105 as Jordan Poole composed 29 points. This was the third straight win for Golden State which has been troubled all season long with some mediocre runs. Of course, this streak has come at home and the team has struggled massively away from home. They have 25 wins and just seven losses at home while the script is flipped on the road where they have just seven wins and 23 losses.

Because of that, they have 32 wins and 30 losses. Stephen Curry has been absent from the fray and that alone has created more losses. Klay Thompson has been red-hot scoring-wise which has helped overcome some offensive inconsistencies. Jordan Poole is a superb scorer and he has continued to pile on big nights. The biggest problem for Golden State has been their defense which has been way down compared to last season when they won the championship.

The Clippers enter the affair after suffering a 101:108 loss against the Timberwolves despite a 25 points performance by Paul George and 10 assists outing by Russell Westbrook. They have now lost three in a row and since the end of December, they have 16 losses and 12 wins, which has severely affected their positioning. They have a so-so record of 33 wins and 31 losses, but because of West’s fragile location from the third rank onwards, they have a huge chance of nabbing top-six spots for direct First Round Qualification.

It has been all the same for the Clippers this season; a lack of depth on the offensive end and losing too many close games. Leonard and George are playing together more than before but the set-up around them hasn’t been conducive enough at all to bring desired results. The defense isn’t as stingy as earlier in the season and the Clippers need a deep winning run to fetch a strong rhythm.

• Warriors: OUT: Ryan Rollins, Gary Payton II, Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Andre Iguodala. PROBABLE: Jordan Poole;
• Clippers: No injuries reported at the time of writing.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Jordan Poole(26+ Points), Kawhi Leonard(25+ Points), Klay Thompson (24+ Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Kevon Looney(10+ Rebounds), Ivica Zubac(9-11 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Russell Westbrook(8+ Assists), Draymond Green(6-8 Assists).

The Clippers have been playing some inconsistent basketball and the Warriors are in the same boat. Beating the Warriors at their own fort is never easy but the Clippers are actually an above-average away-from-home team and have had some decent success there. Therefore, this might not be a game with a clear-cut favorite even if the pendulum seems slightly in favor of the Warriors. I expect the Clippers to pull one out away from home here. I predict a scoreline of 118:114 in favor of the Clippers.