The Golden State Warriors have rediscovered their form as they are now one of the hottest teams in the league. Can the Los Angeles Clippers cool down Stephen Curry and company even without Kawhi Leonard? Or, will the Warriors brush aside LA?

Catch this game live on Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 11 AM, Manila time

Away: Los Angeles Clippers (35-17/15-11 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

• James Harden
• Terance Mann
• Norman Powell
• Paul George
• Ivica Zubac

Things have not looked so great lately for the Clippers, who have lost two of their last three games. And that lone win in that stretch was against the Detroit Pistons, which really proves nothing. In their most recent outing, the Clippers got wrecked by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 121-100 home loss on Tuesday. That was an uncharacteristic blowout loss by LA, which will look to bounce back without one of their best players. 

Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out a day before the Golden State game because of a left adductor strain. Although that’s a big blow for the Clippers, the good news is that they still have two future Hall of Famers on the roster in Paul George and James Harden. The bearded Harden, in particular, has been hot of late with his outside shot, having made 52.5 percent of his 3-point attempts in the last five games. He has also averaged 22.3 points with a 52.2 3FG% in three Clippers vs. Warriors games this season.

Home: Golden State Warriors (26-25/14-13 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

• Stephen Curry
• Klay Thompson
• Andrew Wiggins
• Jonathan Kuminga
• Draymond Green

There is one big inspiration for the Warriors to win this game against the Clippers. A win this Thursday by Golden State will get Steve Kerr his 500th career victory as a head coach. Even without that milestone in sight, though, it is easy to tell why the Warriors are a major threat to the Clippers. Golden State is on a roll, winning all of its last five games heading to another showdown versus the Clippers.

 In that span, the Warriors have averaged 121.8 points and shot 41.8 percent from behind the arc. Of course, Stephen Curry has a lot to do with that success, as he’s put up 27.0 points on a bonkers 51.1 FG% and 50.8 3FG% in the same stretch. The return of Draymond Green has also quietly produced terrific numbers for the Warriors, who rank third in the league in defensive rating and sixth in offensive rating since he returned from suspension.

PREDICTIONS:

The Clippers (+3.5) cover the spread.

The total (232.5) hits the Under.