Teams heading in opposite directions clash as Golden State Warriors host LA Clippers

After each winning at home, California rivals meet with less than 1% difference in the standings.
Two veteran-laden lineups with championship aspirations duel in a match-up with serious playoff implications when the Los Angeles Clippers visit the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco on Thursday night.

Clippers and Warriors tied for fifth in West after Clippers' three losses and Warriors' three wins in a row.

The California rivals have split their first two meetings --Golden State Warriors host LA Clippers both winning at home -- and now come together separated by less than one percentage point in the standings.

The final head-to-head is scheduled for March 15 in Los Angeles, with the Clippers currently holding the tiebreaker edge in division record should the clubs come out of that meeting with a 2-2 deadlock in the season series.

The Warriors would like to believe they’ll have Stephen Curry back for the final match-up, as he has returned to the practice floor in a part-time capacity after missing the last nine games with a partially torn ligament in his lower left leg.

Klay Thompson has taken up the 3-point shooting slack in Curry’s absence. Over 9 games, the veteran made 55 threes at 47%, placing him 2nd in the league behind Buddy Hield. Thompson had 23 points and Jordan Poole a game-high 29 in Tuesday’s 123-105 home win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Draymond Green's return saw him score 12 pts, 9 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl and 2 blk in the team's victory.

Green had missed the previous two games with a bruised right knee.

“It just feels like we’re coming together. It feels like there’s some chemistry, some energy that’s forming,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr gushed after the win. “We’ve been battling all season … just keeping our heads above water. I think we can feel the finish line. We know Steph’s gonna be back before too long, hopefully (Andrew Wiggins), hopefully Gary (Payton II). So we got reinforcements coming.

“In the meantime, these guys are doing a hell of a job. It feels like there’s some grit and some toughness, and the guys are really coming together. It’s fun to watch.”

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue wishes he could say the same. The new look featuring February additions Russell Westbrook, Mason Plumlee, Eric Gordon and Bones Hyland already has taken two gut-punches in double- and single-overtime losses to the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets, respectively, before struggling through a disappointing 108-101 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

“I’m not one bit worried,” Westbrook assured in the wake of the Minnesota defeat. “We have an unbelievably talented group in this locker room, and we know what we have. We just got to make sure we put it together, and I really feel we gave three games away thus far. We’re going to get it together.”

The Healthy Clippers, led by Leonard and George, averaging 60.6 points, are set to face the Warriors in San Francisco. Notably, Leonard is shooting 58.3 percent from the field, and George is hitting at a 48.1-percent clip during that stretch. Moreover, the duo has combined to shoot 51.3 percent from beyond the arc.

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