Betting tips / Editor / 22 December 2011 / Leave a comment Bet Now

Although in years gone by the LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors were fighting for lottery balls, Matthew Reid has a feeling that this Christmas Day match-up could easily be the best of all five games.

The Warriors of recent years have been entertaining but rarely successful.

They have only made the play-offs once in the last 17 years and this year the nucleus of last year's team returns with the main addition being new Head Coach Mark Jackson.

Jackson has promised big things for the Warriors, however it's hard to imagine the team changing their up-tempo style too much given that his best players (Ellis, Curry, Lee) are scorers who don't defend well at all. Only one of the past 10 meetings between the Clippers and Warriors has fallen below a total of 200 points and it would be safe to assume this clash will be high scoring as well.

The Clippers have stolen the headlines this off-season thanks to their acquisition of Chris Paul. The Clips gave up a lot to get Paul but he is undeniably one of the best point guards in the league and instantly makes them a contender to take out the West (odds 11). Apart from Paul, the Clippers also added Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler, making them one of the deeper teams in the league. Depth may not be as big a factor in this opening clash with the Warriors but it certainly will be as the season goes on.

The Warriors Stephen Curry injured his ankle in the last preseason game on Tuesday and his availability is questionable for this game. Curry's status will be vital as Oracle Arena will undoubtedly be packed on Christmas Day and is always a tough place for opposing teams to play.

The Warriors were 26-15 at home last year and can be taken at the underdog price of around 2.40. In a close game and a great finish to what will be a huge opening day of NBA, I like the value the Warriors represent at home.