The Golden State Warriors will face the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Warriors-Clippers series will start on Saturday, April 13 at 8:15 p.m. Eastern on ABC. The Warriors won three of the four matchups against the Clippers this season, including the last three games. Golden State’s last win over Los Angeles was by 27 points just a few days ago. Steph Curry posted 27 points, five rebounds and four assists against the Clippers. The Warriors also won by 18 points in January. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes the Clippers are a formidable opponent in the postseason. “It’s a good matchup geographically for us,” Kerr told the media once the series was set. “That matters, but it’s a hell of an opponent. They have had a fantastic season. I love what they have done. Sort of, rebuilding on the fly without taking a step backward. In fact, [they are] getting better with every move they have made. They really put themselves in a good position for the future. Just making the playoffs, I think surprised a lot of people, but the way they have played the last couple months, they’ve been rock solid. So, we are going to have to work hard and play well.” Here is a look at the Warriors-Clippers playoff schedule. Clippers vs. Warriors Playoff Schedule DATE TEAMS TIME(ET)/TV Sat., April 13 Clippers vs. Warriors Game 1 8 p.m. ABC Mon., April 15 Clippers vs. Warriors Game 2 10:30 p.m. TNT Thurs., April 18 Warriors vs. Clippers Game 3 10:30 p.m. TNT Sun., April 21 Warriors vs. Clippers Game 4 3:30 p.m. ABC Wed., April 24 Clippers vs. Warriors Game 5* TBD Fri., April 26 Warriors vs. Clippers Game 6* TBD Sun., April 28 Clippers vs. Warriors Game 7* TBD NBA Playoff First Round Schedule Note: Times and dates for potential Game 5’s will be set once full schedule is revealed. Information below is courtesy of Sports Media Watch and is subject to change. Saturday, April 13 Game 1: 12:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Game 1: 3:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) Game 1: 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Game 1: 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Sunday, April 14 – Game 1: 3:00 p.m. ET (ABC) Game 1: 5:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Game 1: 8:00 p.m. ET (TNT) Game 1: 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Monday, April 15 Game 2: 8:00 p.m. ET (TNT) Game 2: 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Tuesday, April 16 Game 2: 8:00 p.m. ET (TNT) Game 2: 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Wednesday, April 17 Game 2: 7:00 p.m. ET (TNT) Game 2: 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Thursday, April 18 Game 3: 7:00 p.m. ET (TNT) Game 3: 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Friday, April 19 Game 3: 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) Game 3: 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Game 3: 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Saturday, April 20 Game 3 or 4: 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) Game 3 or 4: 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Sunday, April 21 Game 4: 1:00 p.m. ET (ABC) Game 4: 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Friday, April 26 Game 6: 7:00 p.m. ET (ESPN News)* Game 6: 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)* Game 6: 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN News)* Game 6: 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)* Sunday, April 28 Game 7: 1 p.m. ET (ABC)* Game 7: 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)* *If necessary<doc-sep>The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>Can the Clippers make it a series? Or will the Warriors continue to run through the Western Conference en-route to another Finals appearance. The field is set for the 2019 NBA Playoffs, which begin on Saturday. NBA.com is your destination for complete coverage of every series from now through the end of the NBA Finals. Series Schedule Here is the schedule for the series, which begins on April 13: Day Date Time (ET) Game No. Away Home TV Sat 4/13 8:00 p.m. 1 LA Clippers Golden State TBA Mon 4/15 10:30 p.m. 2 LA Clippers Golden State TBA Thu 4/18 10:30 p.m. 3 Golden State LA Clippers TBA Sun 4/21 3:30 p.m. 4 Golden State LA Clippers TBA Wed 4/24 TBD 5* LA Clippers Golden State TBA Fri 4/26 TBD 6* Golden State LA Clippers TBA Sun 4/28 TBD 7* LA Clippers Golden State TBA Recapping the season series Result: Warriors won 3-1 Best game: Nov. 12, 2018 - Clippers 121, Warriors 116 Best performance: Stephen Curry (December 23, 2018) - 42 points, six rebounds, 12-for-22 (55%) from the field. The Clippers won the first meeting this season between these two teams, no one remembers the overtime thriller for the result. Everyone remembers that it was on that night that Kevin Durant and Draymond Green got into a heated exchange during a time out. Doc Rivers can try and use that win earlier in the season as motivation to prove that they can beat the reigning champions on any given night, but the team he'll lead out on to the floor on Saturday night for Game One is completely different from the one that pulled off the upset in November. Tobias Harris and the 20.9 points per game he gave the Clippers are now in Philadelphia with the 76ers. Mike Scott's toughness and Boban Marjanovic's lockerroom presences went along with him. In return, Los Angeles got back Wilson Chandler, Landry Shamet, Mike Muscala - who turned into Ivica Zubac and a handful of draft picks. At the time of the major trade most expected the Clippers to go into tank mode, they did the opposite and continued to win games they were supposed to. Winning one or two games from the Warriors in this series will be a huge building block for Los Angeles, Golden State would have to end the series as quick as possible with little to no damage to their superstars. Key Storyline: How will DeMarcus Cousin truly fit in? Assuming the Warriors get past the Clippers, most people will be looking at how DeMarcus Cousins adds or subtracts from the two-time defending champions in the playoffs. Throughout the regular season, Cousins has shown he's willing to take a step back and just try to fit in on the juggernaut Warriors. Other times he's stepped out of his role and tried to prove he's still one of the best big men in the league. The Clippers will try to attack Cousins on offence putting him in multiple screen and rolls. It's a warm-up for what teams will try to do as the Warriors go deeper in the playoffs. If Cousins can hold up, Golden State may have an easy road to glory. If he doesn't his stock as one of the top available free agents may take a hit. Three Players to watch DeMarcus Cousins vs. Los Angeles Clippers in 2018-19 (two games): 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, season-high 37.3% usage rate As mentioned above the key to Cousins staying on the floor and having a big impact on this series is how well he can defend. On offence, he'll be a tough cover for the Clippers as they don't have anyone on the roster who can really contend with him down on the block. This is an opportunity for Cousins to show he's not only healthy but that he still has that "it" factor that made him one of the best bigs in the NBA. Lou Williams vs. Golden State Warriors in 2018-19 (three games): 21.0 points, 6.7 assists, 54% true shooting. If the Clippers are going to win one or more games in this series, it's going to be because of Lou Williams. No other Clipper is capable of a scoring explosion that could compete with the firepower the Warriors possess. He's the team's closer and will be counted on to hit big shots in every game. The question will be how many of those shots can he hit? And will it be enough to extend the series beyond four games? Stephen Curry vs. Los Angeles Clippers in 2018-19 (three games): 32.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 142 offensive rating. All eyes will be on Stephen Curry's foot after he injured it in a game against the New Orleans Pelicans late in the season. The Warriors may not need Curry to get past the Clippers, but if they plan on hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the third straight year number 30 has to be on the floor long term. Golden State played 13 games without Curry this season, they went 5-8 in those games. Of course, the playoffs are a different beast and they should get past Los Angeles even if Curry has a reduced schedule, but a healthy Curry is and will be the key to their championship aspirations. Fast Facts: - The Warriors and Clippers have met once in the NBA Playoffs, in a first-round series in 2014 in which the Clippers won in seven games. - Of the current Warriors team, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala played in that series; no Clippers that played in that series are still on the team, however, Warriors assistant player development coach Willie Green was on the Clippers and saw action in three contests. - This is the Warriors' franchise-record seventh straight playoff appearance - Kevin Durant has shot at least 50 percent from the field in each of the last seven seasons. - Durant's 457 assists is a single-season career best, surpassing the 445 he handed out in 2013-14<doc-sep>Clear out your Saturday evening, folks. The Golden State Warriors begin their title defense in earnest as the first round playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers starts in just a couple days. As was foretold by our pre-season ancestors, the Warriors finished with the West’s best record - which will match them up against the supposedly worst team in the bracket. However, this is the Western Conference, where the eight seeded teams are generally fairly decent. The Warriors will hopefully take this round seriously in order to keep this series as brief as possible. With the Houston Rockets next up in the playoff bracket (assuming both teams handle their business), some extra wiggle room to rest and get healthy between rounds would be just what the doctor ordered. From their official team Twitter account, here is the full schedule: Warriors First Round Schedule vs. LA Clippers pic.twitter.com/sdbXqKcOf8 — Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) April 11, 2019 If that’s hard to read, here are the salient details: Game 1 - Saturday at 5 pm Game 2 - Monday at 7:30 pm Game 3 - Thursday (4/18) at 7:30 pm Game 4 - Sunday (4/21) at 12:30 pm The next game would be Wednesday (4/24) but I don’t think the series will go on that long (also, I have a business trip, so have my own selfish reasons for wanting this wrapped up in four games.<doc-sep>
The Clippers are going to be playing the Warriors in the first round of the NBA playoffs, starting this Saturday. Just in case you forgot (it’s only been two years! ), the playoffs have a 2-2-1-1-1 structure, so the first two games of the series will be played at Oracle arena in Oakland, followed by two at Staples Center. Here’s the schedule: Game 1: Saturday, April 13 at 5:00 PM PT at Oracle, on ABC Game 2: Monday, April 15 at 7:30 PM PT at Oracle, on TNT Game 3: Thursday, April 18 at 7:30 PM PT at Staples, on TNT Game 4: Sunday, April 21 at 12:30 PM PT at Staples, on ABC Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, April 24, rest TBD Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, April 26, rest TBD Game 7 (if necessary): Sunday, April 28, rest TBD This series is getting primetime scheduling. And if that’s mostly due to the Warriors’ starpower and championship pedigree, well, the Clippers are along for the ride. While this does mean impressive, competitive performances could gain them some national attention, it will also mean any failures will be seen by a lot of people as well. Rest should not be an issue. The Clippers looked healthy in their game against the Jazz today, and have a couple days of rest at home before their game Saturday. The Warriors are healthy too, so the series should be played at full strength by both squads. Hopefully both teams remain healthy through the course of the series. Well, expect a lot more content to come in the following days, but for now, get your schedules set up to watch some Clippers’ playoff basketball!