Stephen Curry delivered a scintillating performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, bucking his history of underwhelming Christmas outings with eight threes and 38 points against the pacific rival.
The fact the Warriors couldn't capitalize on Curry's season-best performance only added more hurt to what was their 10th loss in the past 13 games. The 2x MVP managed to tie the game with a pair of absurd 3-pointers in the final 15 seconds, only for Austin Reaves to beat Andrew Wiggins off the dribble and deliver the knockout layup in the final seconds.
Stephen Curry will miss Friday's game against the Clippers
To rub more salt into the wound, Curry has now been listed as out for the Warriors next matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers at the Intuit Dome on Friday. The 36-year-old has been dealing with a knee issue over recent weeks, with little surprise that he'll miss one side of Golden State's upcoming back-to-back.
Curry's absence only makes the Christmas Day loss all the more disappointing, and only raises the challenge the Warriors now face in beating a Clippers outfit who they've already lost to twice this season.
Golden State announced on Thursday that they'll be without Gary Payton II for at least a week, with the defensive-minded guard having suffered a mild left calf strain during the fourth-quarter of Wednesday's loss to the Lakers. The Warriors could also be without veteran forward Draymond Green who is questionable with a back injury.
After initial thoughts that Kawhi Leonard could make his season debut on Friday, L.A. head coach Ty Lue has confirmed that the All-Star forward will still miss at least the next four games. Terrence Mann is also out for the Clippers, but the hosts will otherwise have a full rotation.
The Clippers have had the ascendancy over the Warriors in recent times, having won the past five meetings between the two teams all by single figure margins. L.A have outperformed expectations in the eyes of many this season, moving to a 17-13 record despite Leonard's extended absence.
With the fifth-ranked defense in the league, the Clippers could make it mightily difficult for the Warriors to find any offensive rhythm without their superstar guard. Golden State rank 25th on that end of the floor over the last 14 games, but perhaps they can take some optimism from the fact they're 4-1 without Curry so far this season.