Preview: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Golden State Warriors - prediction, team news, form guide

Having not featured successful this year's Christmas Day circular of matches, the Los Angeles Clippers are backmost successful enactment connected Saturday with a thrilling matchup against the Golden State Warriors astatine Intuit Dome.
 
The Warriors, meanwhile, volition person to prime themselves up successful this weekend's brushwood disconnected the backmost of an agonising decision to the Clippers' metropolis rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, past clip out.

Match preview

© Imago
 
Serving up an contiguous effect to a 113-97 nonaccomplishment against the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Clippers rounded disconnected their three-game roadworthy travel with an awesome 110-114 triumph implicit the Memphis Grizzlies successful Tuesday's brushwood astatine the FedExForum.
 
Down 7 to the highest-scoring squad successful the league this word astatine fractional time, Tyronn Lue's men turned the contention connected its caput successful the 3rd 4th earlier completing the occupation successful the last knockings aft Ja Morant had tied the crippled with 35 seconds left.
 
Currently enjoying his astir productive play astatine the property of 31, Norman Powell came up with the goods erstwhile again, tallying 29 points connected 10-20 shooting to pb the mode for the Clippers, who besides enjoyed large performances from James Harden and Ivica Zubac, arsenic some men combined for 41 points, 27 rebounds and 10 assists.
 
A tally of 3 consecutive defeats betwixt December 5 and 14 had threatened to derail the Clippers' good commencement to the month, but they person since won 3 of their 4 matches to amended to 17-13 for the play and presently beryllium seventh successful the West, albeit with the aforesaid grounds arsenic the Lakers successful sixth.
 
Having had to woody with the lack of Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers person done good to stay firmly successful playoff contention arsenic Leonard closes successful connected making his play debut aft a reasonably lengthy spell connected the sidelines.
 
Saturday's hosts volition present acceptable retired to navigate the situation of different Western Conference heavyweight, though their grounds successful this fixture has been impeccable of precocious with victories successful each of the astir caller 5 competitory meetings, including 1 apiece successful October and November.

© Imago
 
In the 4th of 5 matches slated for the festive period, the Golden State Warriors produced yet different classical against the Los Angeles Lakers successful Thursday's 115-113 decision astatine the Chase Center.
 
After an adjacent archetypal quarter, Steve Kerr's men were recovered wanting successful the consequent 24 minutes of enactment and headed into the last 4th trailing by 8 points, though they looked to person forced overtime done Steph Curry's heavy three-pointer with 8 seconds left, lone for Austin Reaves to descend a precocious game-winner soon afterwards.
 
The LeBron James vs. Curry matchup decidedly lived up to expectations arsenic the veterans tallied a combined 69 points and 16 assists successful a crippled wherever the Warriors defender scored the astir fourth-quarter points successful a Christmas fixture (17).
 
A 3-11 grounds implicit the past 14 matches has the Warriors presently 10th successful the west, little than 2 months since they sat second, highlighting however disastrous the past mates of weeks person been successful San Francisco.
 
Ahead of games against the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers to travel aft Saturday's encounter, this weekend's visitors could bash with returning to winning ways arsenic they look to extremity 2024 connected a high.

Los Angeles Clippers NBA form:

Golden State Warriors NBA form:

Team News

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PJ Tucker is presently retired of the LA Clippers' rotation and remains successful limbo implicit his adjacent destination with the February commercialized deadline drafting progressively closer.
 
Terance Mann (finger) and Kobe Brown (back) are besides expected to miss out, though the erstwhile is acceptable to beryllium re-evaluated soon to find his availability to instrumentality to action.
 
Kawhi Leonard is making important advancement towards making his comeback from a genu problem, but Saturday's crippled is expected to travel excessively soon for the forward.
 
Warriors caput manager Steve Kerr has hinted Steph Curry could beryllium fixed a remainder successful this 1 aft a gruelling 36-minute outing successful the decision to the Lakers.
 
Thirty-two-year-old Gary Payton II is disposable backmost successful contention for Saturday's distant broadside erstwhile again aft shaking disconnected a calf occupation to diagnostic past clip out.

We say: Clippers to triumph by 6+ points

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