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Clippers vs Warriors Preview: For All the Marbles
The Clippers’ last game of the 2025 regular season is also their most important, as it will determine whether or not they make the playoffs or enter the play-in tournament. Their opponent, the Golden State Warriors, is in a similar position, making this perhaps the highest stakes regular season game of the entire NBA season regardless of team.
Game
Information
Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, California
When: 12:30 PM PT
How to Watch: ESPN, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 1150
Projected
Starting Lineups
Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac
Warriors: Steph Curry – Brandin Podziemski – Moses Moody – Jimmy Butler – Draymond Green
Injuries
Clippers: Nic Batum Out (Groin), Patty Mills Out (Illness), Seth Lundy Out (Two-way)
Warriors: Gary Payton II Out
The Big
Picture
Despite how
well the Clippers have played over the last month (and really, most of the
season), a lot is riding on this last game. A win would place the Clippers in
the playoffs proper and give them either the 4 or 5 seed. A loss would open the
door for the Clippers to fall all the way to 7 and the play-in tournament. The
Clippers were not at their sharpest in the win over the Kings on Friday night,
but did just enough to win. They will need to be much better to beat a Warriors
team for whom this game is every bit as important as it is for the Clippers.
The
Antagonist
The Warriors
have been one of the few teams in the NBA that’s been as hot as the Clippers
over the second half of the season. The Jimmy Butler trade reinvigorated the
previously listless Dubs, giving them another creator and scorer on offense to
help Steph Curry while also strengthening their perimeter defense and
rebounding. The Warriors have had some bad losses, but in general have played
quite well on both ends of the court for almost two months, pushing Steph into
All-NBA First Team talks and Draymond Green in the center of the Defensive
Player of the Year discussions. Unfortunately for opposing teams, both claims
have merit – it turns out that Steph still looks unstoppable when he has enough
help, and Draymond remains probably the most well-rounded defender in the game.
Add in a competent supporting cast and you have a highly dangerous team that
can win in multiple ways. You hate to see it.
Notes
Winning the Rebounding Battle: Despite playing small much of the time, the Warriors rank 4th in offensive rebounding rate in the NBA. When Looney plays, he’s an excellent offensive rebounder, and their wings like Podziemski, Moody, and Kuminga are all effective at crashing the offensive glass as well. The Clippers, on the other hand, are 1st in defensive rebound rate, largely thanks to the efforts of Ivica Zubac. It’s even more important to keep the Warriors off the offensive glass than most teams, as offensive rebounds for the Warriors turn into threes for Steph Curry (and to a much lesser extent, Buddy Hield). If the Clippers can hold the Warriors to a single possession on a regular basis, they will be in a strong position to win this game.
The Turnover Battle: Similarly, the Warriors are better than the Clippers at taking care of the basketball. Normally the Steph Curry Warriors are very high in turnover rate, flinging the ball all over the court (while also nearly always leading the league in assist rate, as they are this year). However, they have lowered that turnover rate this year, with Jimmy Butler being a stabilizing influence. The Clippers rank 23rd in turnover rate, the worst of any playoff team in the NBA. Again, giving the Warriors fastbreak opportunities is death – Steph is simply too good in those situations. The Clippers’ turnovers have been a bugaboo for them all year, and it would be a shame for that weakness to bite them in this critical game.
Clippers vs Warriors Preview: For All the Marbles
Robert Flom