The Golden State Warriors will be looking to bounce back to winning ways in the NBA when they take on the Atlanta Hawks at the Chase Center on Thursday morning.
Golden State are 10-3 and slipped to second place in the Western Conference standings on Tuesday, while Atlanta are 7-8 and currently fifth in the East.
Match preview
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The Golden State Warriors have made an excellent start to the 2024-25 NBA season but suffered their third loss of the campaign on Tuesday morning when they were beaten 112-109 by the Clippers, who have now beaten them for the second time this term.
Stephen Curry led the team with a game-high 26 points, including six from beyond the arc, while Andrew Wiggins added 22 and Jonathan Kuminga chipped in with 16, but no other Warriors player managed to get into double-digits.
The defeat was largely attributable to one key statistical discrepancy, as the Warriors, despite having one more free throw attempt than the Clippers, inexplicably made seven fewer, and their conversion from the charity stripe this season (71.2%) is now the worst in the league.
Steve Kerr's side shot a dismal nine of 19, including a combined two of nine from Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, while the Clippers went 16 of 18 which ultimately made the difference in the three-point outcome.
The result saw the Warriors drop to fourth in the scoring charts, now averaging 119.6 points per game, while on defence, they are joint-sixth in the league, allowing just 110.1 points per outing.
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Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks are starting to heat up nicely and notched up their third win in their last four games by outlasting the Sacramento Kings 109-108 on the road on Tuesday morning.
De'Andre Hunter put in an impressive performance, leading the team with 24 points off the bench, while number one draft pick Zaccharie Risacher scored 18 points and Clint Capela added 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Trae Young only scored seven points in the victory, but he was central to everything good Atlanta did, and dished out a season-high 19 assists, which led to 46 of the team's points on the night.
The last time Atlanta faced the Warriors, they came out on top 141-134 in overtime after the match ended level 123-123 at the final buzzer, though they have not won at the Chase Center in their last three visits.
Following the victory over the Kings, Quin Snyder's men are ranked eighth on offence, scoring 116.1 PPG, though they could still use major improvement on defence, where they are conceding 119.5 points per game - the third-most of any side in the league.
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Team News
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De'Anthony Melton missed his second consecutive match against the Clippers due to a left ACL sprain and he is listed as questionable, while Kevon Looney is ruled out for this match with an illness.
Lindy Waters III was afforded some playing time against the Grizzlies as a result of Melton's absence, but unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury in the second quarter which is likely to keep him sidelined for a couple of weeks.
For the Hawks, Bogdan Bogdanovic returned to the court for the first time since opening night against the Nets and got 18 minutes under his belt, notching up six points, three assists and three rebounds.
Kobe Bufkin and Hunter were also listed as questionable but featured in the last match, meaning that Vit Krejci is the only player who is confirmed as out for the Hawks on Thursday.
Golden State Warriors possible starting five:
Green, Wiggins, Jackson-Davis, Curry, Hield
Atlanta Hawks possible starting five:
Matthews, Risacher, Capela, Daniels, Young
We say: Golden State Warriors to win by 3+ points
With two of the hottest-shooting sides in the league set to face off here, we are expecting a high-scoring encounter at the Chase Center, but given their 4-1 record at home compared to the visitors 3-4 on the road, we are going for the Warriors to come out on top in this one.
Devesh Jaganath
