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LA Clippers won’t get a break vs Golden State, but neither will the Warriors

By Garrett Chorpenning

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 22: Tobias Harris #34 and Danilo Gallinari #8 of the LA Clippers high-five during a game against the Denver Nuggets on December 22, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 22: Tobias Harris #34 and Danilo Gallinari #8 of the LA Clippers high-five during a game against the Denver Nuggets on December 22, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The LA Clippers will travel to Oakland just one night after defeating the Denver Nuggets, but the Warriors are also short on rest after their win over Dallas.

After a disappointing start to the month, the LA Clippers have completely turned things around in their last two games — both wins — against the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets.

Each win is especially significant for the Clippers, as the Mavericks and Nuggets are both teams that they’ve previously lost to this season. Dallas beat LA on December 2 by a final of 110-114, and Denver topped them in the season opener, 98-107. That means the Clippers have at least one win against every team they’ve played this season, with the exception of the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors.

The most important thing that came from Saturday night’s victory over Denver may not have been the fact that the Clippers won, though.

Almost every Clippers starter played less than 33 minutes last night, and most played less than 27. That’s extremely significant heading into tonight’s matchup with the Warriors, as they’re also playing on the second game of a back-to-back, and all but one of their starters played more than 33 minutes in a victory over the Mavericks. Rest advantage goes to Los Angeles.

Record advantage though, goes to Golden State. At 22-11, the Warriors are currently the third seed in the Western Conference, and are a half game behind Denver and Oklahoma City for the top seed. Stephen Curry is also back for the Warriors, which is important since he didn’t play in Golden State’s first loss to the Clippers this season. The Dubs are 7-3 since he returned on the first of the month, and went 5-6 in his absence.

Last time out, the Clippers won a hard-fought game against Golden State, which went into overtime. Tobias Harris and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander combined for 35 points, and Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams went for 48 off the bench.

On Golden State’s side, it was Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant that went off for 64 combined points. Thompson is arguably having the worst season of his career, as he’s shooting a career-low 33.7 percent from three-point range. He almost always plays great against the Clippers, so that should be one of the key factors in tonight’s game.

If the Clippers can pull off the upset tonight in Oakland, they should feel comfortable entering their next stretch of games — which are against the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.

Next. Why Jerome Robinson’s rookie season doesn’t necessarily matter. dark

The Clippers and Warriors will tip-off tonight at 5:30 PM PST.

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