Clippers at Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are back home after a tough three-game road trip and still have the NBA’s single-season wins record in sight. The Warriors will try to draw a step closer and stay undefeated at home when they host the rival Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Golden State suffered just its seventh loss of the season in San Antonio on Saturday and had more trouble than it would have liked in a 109-104 win at Minnesota to close out the 2-1 trip on Monday. Presumptive MVP Stephen Curry has looked almost human in the last two games, going a combined 3-of-21 from 3-point range, but made up for the shooting slump with 11 assists on Monday as Draymond Green shouldered more of the scoring load. The Clippers are going through a slump at the wrong time with losses in four of their last five games but still sit comfortably in the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is playing the finale of a five-game road trip at Golden State after falling 109-105 at the injury-depleted New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles), CSN Bay Area (Golden State)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (43-26): Los Angeles has dropped six of its last nine games and the first five of those losses came against playoff teams until the letdown at New Orleans. “I just think our spirit isn’t great right now,” Redick said. “We’ve just got to be more together and fight more. You can talk about Xs and Os all you want, but as a player, you can feel it when your spirit isn’t right.” The Clippers have allowed an average of 110 points in their last five games and are still awaiting the return of star forward Blake Griffin (quad/hand/suspension).
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (63-7): Curry went 6-of-17 from the floor at Minnesota but Green was an efficient 10-of-13 as Golden State played its second straight game without center Andrew Bogut (toe). “He missed a lot of shots he normally makes and over the course of an 82-game season, that’s going to happen,” Green told reporters of Curry. “And it hasn’t happened much for him, so it’s unbelievable for everybody, but it happens. It’s our job to pick him up.” The Warriors need to go 10-2 over the final 12 games to break the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ record of 72 wins and could use Bogut, fellow center Festus Ezeli (knee) and forward Andre Iguodala (ankle) back.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Warriors Fs Brandon Rush and James Michael McAdoo have each taken a turn starting in place of Bogut.
2. Los Angeles F Jeff Green (concussion) sat out Sunday and is day-to-day.
3. Golden State has taken five straight in the series, all by single digits.