History was made the last time the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers took the floor at Oracle Arena. The only milestone Golden State is interested in Wednesday night is wrapping up another postseason series in the 2019 NBA Playoffs, though the Clippers have other ideas. The teams meet in Game 5 of their first-round NBA playoff series at 10:30 p.m. ET. In Game 2, Los Angeles overcame a 31-point deficit with a spectacular second-half flourish to set a postseason comeback record. The 135-131 victory tied the series at 1-1, but the Warriors responded with a pair of comfortable victories in Los Angeles. Now, top-seeded Golden State is one win away from advancing to the second round, while eighth-seeded Los Angeles will need another upset at home to stay alive. Golden State is a 14.5-point favorite, up from an open of 14, while the over-under for total points scored is 232.5 in the latest Warriors vs. Clippers odds. Before you make your Clippers vs. Warriors picks, listen to what the SportsLine projection model has to say.
The model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, is crushing its NBA picks. It entered Week 28 of the 2018-19 NBA season with a sterling record on its top-rated picks, returning more than $3,500 in profit to anybody following them. And it has been particularly red-hot on its A-rated NBA money-line picks, entering Week 28 on a strong 84-57 run. Anybody who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model has dialed in on Game 5 of Clippers vs. Warriors in the 2019 NBA Playoffs from every angle, crunched the numbers and generated a strong point-spread pick that hits nearly 60 percent of the time. That selection is available at SportsLine.
The model knows that perhaps the biggest difference for the Warriors in the past two games has been their defensive adjustments on Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell. The Los Angeles reserves had their way in the first two games and appeared to be a matchup problem that Golden State couldn't solve. Williams and Harrell went for a combined 61 points on 23-of-32 shooting in the Game 2 upset.
But the Clippers' tandem had just 31 points in Game 3 on 10-of-21 shooting and 22 points in Game 4. Backup center Kevon Looney has been instrumental in a drop-back approach in the paint that forces Harrell to shoot over the defense as opposed to muscling his way to the rim. Draymond Green has led the perimeter effort to cut off Williams' driving angles and force the ball out of his hands.
Still, there's no guarantee that Golden State will cover the Warriors vs. Clippers spread on Wednesday.
Los Angeles appeared on the brink of suffering a second consecutive blowout loss at home when it rallied in the third quarter to take a five-point lead. The Clippers were unable to hold the margin, but remained within striking distance until the final two minutes.
The Clippers also adjusted to the immense defensive attention paid to Lou Williams, the hero of the Game 2 upset with 36 points. Williams was limited to 12 points, but rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took advantage of increased opportunities and scored a team-high 25 points. Patrick Beverley also provided a spark with 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Who wins Game 5 of Clippers vs. Warriors? And which side of the spread hits in nearly 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Clippers vs. Warriors spread you should be all over Wednesday, all from the model that's up more than $3,500 on NBA picks this season.
