Having not featured in this year's Christmas Day round of matches, the Los Angeles Clippers are back in action on Saturday with a thrilling matchup against the Golden State Warriors at Intuit Dome.
The Warriors, meanwhile, will have to pick themselves up in this weekend's encounter off the back of an agonising defeat to the Clippers' city rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, last time out.
Match preview
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Serving up an immediate response to a 113-97 loss against the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Clippers rounded off their three-game road trip with an impressive 114-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in Tuesday's encounter at the FedExForum.
Down seven to the highest-scoring team in the league this term at half time, Tyronn Lue's men turned the contest on its head in the third quarter before completing the job in the final knockings after Ja Morant had tied the game with 35 seconds left.
Currently enjoying his most productive season at the age of 31, Norman Powell came up with the goods once again, tallying 29 points on 10-20 shooting to lead the way for the Clippers, who also enjoyed big performances from James Harden and Ivica Zubac, as both men combined for 41 points, 27 rebounds and 10 assists.
A run of three straight defeats between December 5 and 14 had threatened to derail the Clippers' fine start to the month, but they have since won three of their four matches to improve to 17-13 for the season and currently sit seventh in the West, albeit with the same record as the Lakers in sixth.
Having had to deal with the absence of Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers have done well to remain firmly in playoff contention as Leonard closes in on making his season debut after a fairly lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Saturday's hosts will now set out to navigate the challenge of another Western Conference heavyweight, although their record in this fixture has been impeccable of late with victories in each of the most recent five competitive meetings, including one apiece in October and November.
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In the fourth of five matches slated for the festive period, the Golden State Warriors produced yet another classic against the Los Angeles Lakers in Thursday's 115-113 defeat at the Chase Center.
After an even first quarter, Steve Kerr's men were found wanting in the subsequent 24 minutes of action and headed into the final quarter trailing by eight points, although they looked to have forced overtime through Steph Curry's deep three-pointer with eight seconds left, only for Austin Reaves to sink a late game-winner shortly afterwards.
The LeBron James vs. Curry matchup definitely lived up to expectations as the veterans tallied a combined 69 points and 16 assists in a game where the Warriors guard scored the most fourth-quarter points in a Christmas fixture (17).
A 3-11 record over the last 14 matches has the Warriors currently 10th in the west, less than two months since they sat second, highlighting how disastrous the last couple of weeks have been in San Francisco.
Ahead of games against the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers to come after Saturday's encounter, this weekend's visitors could really do with returning to winning ways as they look to end 2024 on a high.
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Team News
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PJ Tucker is currently out of the LA Clippers' rotation and remains in limbo over his next destination with the February trade deadline drawing increasingly closer.
Terance Mann (finger) and Kobe Brown (back) are also expected to miss out, although the former is set to be re-evaluated soon to determine his availability to return to action.
Kawhi Leonard is making significant progress towards making his comeback from a knee problem, but Saturday's game is expected to come too soon for the forward.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has hinted Steph Curry could be given a rest in this one after a gruelling 36-minute outing in the defeat to the Lakers.
Thirty-two-year-old Gary Payton II is back in contention for Saturday's away side once again after shaking off a calf problem to feature last time out.
Los Angeles Clippers possible starting five:
Harden, Powell; Dunn, Jones Jr.; Zubac
Golden State Warriors possible starting five:
Schroder, Payton II; Wiggins, Green; Jackson-Davis
We say: Clippers to win by 6+ points
The Clippers are expected to be the fresher of the two teams with a four-day rest period since their last outing, and we expect that difference in energy levels to play a key role en route to a victory for the home side.
Adepoju Marvellous
