The Dubs start a five-game road trip with a visit to Los Angeles to play the Clippers.
Warriors at ClippersFriday, January 187:30 p.m.Staples CenterLos Angeles, CA
WATCH: NBCSBA, ESPN
RADIO: 95.7 The Game, Warriors Mobile App and Warriors Radio Network
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After Wednesday’s victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, the Warriors hit the road for a five-game trip that begins in Los Angeles forthe third of four regular season matchups against the Clippers. The series between the two currently stands at 1-1, with both games being determined by five points or less. When they first met in November in Los Angeles, Stephen Curry was inactive due to a groin injury. Golden State trailed by 13 points with 6:08 left in the game, but the Warriors turned it up on defense, denying any buckets by the Clippers for the remainder of the fourth quarter, allowing the Dubs send it into overtime; however, Golden State fell 121-116. By their second meeting in December Curry had returned to action, and led all scorers with 42 points. He ended the game with an exclamation point for the Dubs, making the game-winning layup with 0.5 seconds left for the 129-127 victory. Will Friday night’s game repeat the pattern and be another close one?
LAST TIME OUTStephen Curry led the Warriors to a 147-140 win over the New Orleans Pelicans with a 23-point third quarter on seven made 3-pointers. Full Recap
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
LAST GAME'S STARTERS
GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney
LAC: Danilo Gallinari, Tobias Harris, Marcic Gortat, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Avery Bradley
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Damian Jones (left pectoral muscle tear) is out. DeMarcus Cousins (left Achilles rehab) is TBD. Team Notes
LAC: Luc Mbah a Moute and Jerome Robinson are TBD. Team Notes
CURRY VS. THE CLIPPERS
Stephen Curry has had many memorable games against the Los Angeles Clippers. His first tripple-double came in February 2010; he had 36 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds to become the sixth rookie in NBA history to post a 35/10/10 stat line. In February 2017, Curry hit his 200th 3-pointer of the season, making him the first player in NBA history to have five consecutive seasons with 20 or more treys. Who could forget his game in January 2018 when he scored 45 points in just three quarters of action? In his career versus the Pacific Division foe, Curry averages 24.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 6.1 assists with a 49.3% 3-point field goal average.
TEAM LEADERS
L.A. CLIPPERS SCOUTING REPORT
Since trading away All-Star forward Blake Griffin in the middle of the 2017-2018 season, the re-tooled Los Angeles Clippers have gone 41-36 The team is now led by the scoring trio of Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari, and Lou Williams; each of them average over 18 points on over three 3-point attempts per game. Gallinari has been enjoying one of his best seasons of his eleven-year career, missing only one game this season and averaging career-highs in points (19.7), rebounds (6.1), and 3-point percentage (45.3%). Los Angeles also has a high-energy center in Montrezl Harrell, who averages 16 points, 6.8 rebounds, and at least one block per game. The Clippers are currently 24-20 to put them at 7th place in the Western Conference. This Los Angeles squad is lengthy and athletic across all positions, as well as being filled with many efficient scorers.