Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs on Saturday and we will see Golden State Warriors travel to the Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Clippers. The game has a start time of 3:30 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on ABC. Vegas odds have the Clippers listed as 7 point favorites, while the total sits at 211.
Stat Packs: The Golden State Warriors went 51-31 on the year to reach the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time since 1991 and 1992. The Warriors come in as the 6 th seed in the west and they have gone a solid are also a solid 24-17 on the road this year. Golden State is a very good offensive team as they come in ranked 10th in the league in scoring at 104.3 ppg, while also ranking 9th in shooting overall (46.2%) and 4th in 3pt shooting (38.0%). Just 3 players average in double figures on this team, led by Stephen Curry, who scores 24.0 ppg on the year. Klay Thomson is next at 18.4 ppg, while close behind is David lee, who averages 18.2 ppg. At the defensive end of the floor the Warriors are also very solid as they rank 10th in points allowed (99.5 ppg), 4th in defensive FG% (43.6%) and 4th in 3pt defense (34.4%). The Teams split the 4 meetings this year with each team winning both games on their home floors.
The LA Clippers come in as the 3rd seed in the Western Conference, after going 57-25 overall and 34-7 at home this year. This may be the most dangerous team heading into the playoffs as they have won 20 of their last 25 games. Offensively the Clippers are 1st in the league in scoring (107.9 ppg) and 3 rd in shooting overall (47.4%). They do struggle from long range, hitting just 35.2% of their threes (22nd) and they also struggle at the charity stripe, hitting just 73% of their freebies, to rank 26th. Blake Griffin leads the offense with 24.1 ppg, while Chris Paul leads the team in rebounding (10.9 rpg) and is 2 nd on the team in scoring at 19.1 ppg. Jamal Crawford (18.6 ppg) and JJ Reddick (15.2 ppg) round out the top 4 scorers for this high powered attack. Defensively the Clippers allowed 101.0 ppg, which is 14th in the league, but teams only shoot 44.1% vs them overall (5th) and 33.2% from long range (1st).
Pick: Let's take a shot on the under here. This is playoff hoops and that usually means a bit more defense and both teams have been solid at that end of the floor. The Clippers do allow 101 ppg, but they are 5th in defensive FG% and 1st in 3pt defense, while the Warriors check in at 4th in defensive FG% and 4th in 3pt defense, allowing 99.5 ppg in the process. Both teams like to push tempo, but still the defenses here will rise up and keep this one in the lower 200s at best.
Get Spartans's NBA PLAYOFF TRIPLE STAR BOMB! For Free- No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
$10,000 Match Marco Baseball Challenge--- During the 2010 MLB season, Pregame Pro Marco D'Angelo won an unheard of 25 straight baseball games, never laying more than -$120! This contest replicates Marco's feat--- CLICK TO JOIN
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for NBA Playoffs with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
NBA Free Picks: Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors Betting
What pro basketball bettors need to know about Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors on Saturday (4/19/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Marco D'Angelo with Ken Thomson.