WARRIORS BEGIN SEVEN-GAME HOMESTAND AGAINST HEAT
The Warriors return to Chase Center riding an eight-game home winning streak into a seven-game homestand beginning against the Miami Heat on Thursday. The Heat have won their previous three contests, including beating the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day. The Heat are also the reigning Eastern Conference Champions, losing to the Denver Nuggets 4-1 in the 2023 NBA Finals, meaning the Dubs will be playing the two recent NBA finalists in consecutive games.
Warriors vs. Heat
Dec. 28 | Tipoff: 7:00 p.m.
WATCH: local (NBCSBA), national (NBATV)
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LAST TIME OUT
The Warriors had their five-game winning streak snapped by the defending champion Nuggets 120-114 in Denver on Christmas Day. The Dubs had three reserves in double-figures, paced by Andrew Wiggins, who scored a team-high 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Jamal Murray (28 points) and Nikola Jokic (26 points) combined for 54 points for the Nuggets, while Jokic set an NBA Christmas Day record by shooting a perfect 18-for-18 from the free throw line. » Full Game Recap
Golden State Warriors Highlights vs. Denver Nuggets
MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
| GSW | MIA |
| 15-15 | 18-12 |
| 11th in West | 4th in East |
| PTS: 117.1 (9th) | PTS: 113.4 (19th) |
| REB: 47.4 (1st) | REB: 41.4 (t-26th) |
| AST: 28.0 (6th) | AST: 26.2 (12th) |
UNIFORMS
GSW: Statement Edition
MIA: Association Edition
PREVIOUS GAME STARTERS
GSW: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Brandin Podziemksi, Jonathan Kuminga and Kevon Looney
MIA: Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Caleb Martin and Bam Adebayo
INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Draymond Green (league suspension) and Gary Payton II (right calf strain) are out. Team Notes
MIA: Jimmy Butler (left calf strain), Kyle Lowry (soreness), Caleb Martin (right ankle sprain) and Dru Smith (right acl third degree sprain) are out. Duncan Robinson (left ankle sprain) is questionable. Josh Richardson (lower back discomfort) is doubtful. Team Notes
MAKING THE MOST OF UPCOMING HOMESTAND
After starting 1-6 at home, the Warriors have rattled off eight consecutive wins at Chase Center. Over that span, Stephen Curry is leading the way by averaging 31.4 points per game on 54.8 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from three and 90.7 percent from the foul line. Hovering around .500 for much of the season, Curry views the upcoming stretch as very important to make some headway in the standings.
"It’s huge because it’ll hopefully give us some breathing room," Curry said. "I know we play some good teams, but it’ll give us an opportunity to establish our identity. We took advantage of our previous home stretch and we gotta do it again."
Postgame Warriors Talk: Stephen Curry - 12/25/23
TEAM LEADERS
| GSW | MIA |
| PTS: Curry (27.9) | PTS: Herro (24.0) |
| REB: Looney (7.8) | REB: Adebayo (9.9) |
| AST: Paul (7.6) | AST: Butler (4.6) |
MIAMI SCOUTING REPORT
The Miami Heat welcomed back two key pieces, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, over the past few games. Adebayo leads the team in rebounds (9.9 RPG) and blocks (1.0 BPG), while Herro is their leading scorer (24.0 PPG). Since their joint return on Dec. 18, Herro has averaged 26.3 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game and 4.0 assists per game on 48.1 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from behind the arc, while Adebayo has averaged 21.0 points per game, 9.8 rebounds per game, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 block. Reigning Eastern Conference Finals MVP Jimmy Butler has missed the last three games due to a calf injury and will miss Thursday's contest. The Heat's offensive specialty this season has been their perimeter shooting, hitting a league-best 39.5 percent of their 3-point attempts.