The most important game in the NBA on the final day of the regular season is between the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors.
The pregame narrative: With a Game 7 vibe, I’m backing the defensively sound Clippers to cover an alternate spread on the road. This +400 SGP includes a pick on Kawhi Leonard and a fade on Steph Curry.
Check out my Clippers vs. Warriors SGP predictions for April 13.
Clippers vs. Warriors predictions
Parlay: Clippers +7.5 | Leonard over 23.5 points | Curry under 25.5 points (+400)
Clippers +7.5 (-210): L.A. is red-hot right now, winning nine of its past 10 games.
It’s also worth noting that the Clippers have covered this spread in 24 straight games.
The Warriors have also been great since they acquired Jimmy Butler, going 23-6 since the trade.
But the Clippers have the upper hand in this head-to-head matchup, having won all three meetings this season — despite Kawhi Leonard not playing in any of those games.
Their defence held the Warriors to an average of 98.3 points in those games.
Now insert both Kawhi and Butler into the conversation, and I think the Clippers should still have the advantage, especially against a lofty spread.
NBA SGP legs
Leonard over 23.5 points (-106): This is as important as it gets for a regular season game, and Toronto Raptors fans should be very knowledgable of how Leonard plays when the lights are the brightest.
Plus, he continues to lean into those robotic tendencies by returning from a lengthy injury recovery to play like he’s in his prime.
Leonard has played 30 or more minutes in 20 games now. Take a look at his averages in that scenario:
- 23.5 points
- 48.6 FG%
- 39.1 3PT%
He’s hyper-efficient, so this leg will come down to volume. But Leonard should be the No. 1 option when the Clippers need a bucket today.
Curry under 25.5 points (-106): It feels wrong to fade Curry as a scorer, but there are two reasons for it.
- Curry is listed as questionable after suffering a thumb sprain on Friday. He managed to return in that game but was held to 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting (2-of-8 from deep).
- The Clippers are an elite defensive team, owning the third-best defensive rating (112.2).
I fully expect Curry to suit up for this must-win game, but I expect he’ll be limited once again by the lingering thumb issue.
Look for the superstar guard to tap into his playmaking roots while leaving the majority of the scoring to Golden State’s secondary options.
Clippers vs. Warriors predictions made at 10:50 a.m. ET 04/13/2025.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.