Western Conference Showdown

I know I know, the World Cup is on! But after Argentina's 5AM loss to Saudi Arabia, we decided the timing just doesn't make sense and we're going to stick to the NBA today. Thought this was worth a share though 👇

Anyway, coming into this season, a Warriors-Clippers matchup seemed to promise a battle between two of the best teams in the league. Now, it's hard to say what the future holds for either team. The Warriors have been shockingly bad thus far, accumulating an 8-10 record, despite suffering no injuries to key contributors 😳

• They're coming off an embarrassing 45-point loss to the Pelicans, albeit in a game that Steph Curry sat out

• The Dubs seem to be wasting an all-time great season from Curry, who's been putting up 32/7/7

• Just look at his current stats compared to what most regard as his greatest season 👇

On the other end, the Clippers have managed to stay afloat with an 11-7 record, but the status of Kawhi Leonard has been increasingly concerning. After spending a full season rehabbing an ACL injury, Kawhi still looks to be struggling with his health. He missed twelve straight games due to concerns over his physical status, and has looked very meh (8, 11 and 6 points) since returning last week 🤔

Clippers vs. Warriors Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: Warriors -8.5

• Moneyline: Warriors -370 (bet $370, win $100), Clippers +295 (bet $100, win $295)

• Over/Under: 222.5

Can The GSW Fix It?

This was always meant to be a relatively transitional season for Golden State, in which the squad's bevy of young guns would start to assume a larger workload within the system. The expectations were that players like James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody could begin integrating themselves into the rotation in complementary roles. However, the results have been disappointing to say the least 😬

• Golden State's starting lineup has remained exemplary, boasting the second-best net rating of any five-man unit in the league (min. 100 minutes played)

• The issue has been the youth movement, with former No. 2 pick Wiseman already banished to the G-League and Kuminga shooting 27% from deep

• On the bright side, Klay Thompson appears to finally be back after some early season struggles 🔥

For the visiting Clippers, this season ultimately boils down to the health of Kawhi. The Clippers have built up some tremendous depth to surround the Leonard-George duo, but the NBA is a league of stars. PG has shown himself to be capable of carrying the load in Kawhi's absence, but the Clippers can only enter the true class of title contenders if their franchise centerpiece returns to form 😏

• All the pieces are in places if Leonard can get there — LAC has one of the deepest lineups in the league with top role players like Robert Covington, Norman Powell, Marcus Morris, Nic Batum, Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard

• Even offseason addition John Wall already looks to be reviving his career, as he's really made an impact off the bench

For My Parlay Gurus

At this point in time, I must say that I have more faith in LAC's roster than Golden State's. It feels like the Warriors need Curry to be otherworldly merely to remain competitive, while the Clippers have been pretty good even when Kawhi doesn't play. Despite the obvious health concerns, I believe he'll get there, and I'm going with the Clippers tonight, along with the Celtics 👇

• Clippers + 8.5 @ Warriors: -114

• Celtics -4.5 vs. Mavs: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $258 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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