The Golden State Warriors will be out for revenge when they visit the new Intuit Dome to play the L.A. Clippers on Monday, having already lost to Ty Lue's squad at Chase Center late last month.
That 112-104 defeat saw Stephen Curry leave the game with an ankle injury that subsequently forced the superstar guard to miss three games. The 2x MVP is now one of three players questionable for Monday's game, with a lengthy injury report for the 10-2 Warriors.
Warriors' star Stephen Curry is dealing with knee bursitis
Curry has been in excellent form since returning from injury, having posted back-to-back games of 36 and 37 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks. The 36-year-old was rested from the fourth-quarter of Friday's NBA Cup win over the Memphis Grizzlies, and is now questionable to face the Clippers due to bursitis in his left knee.
Veteran ironman Kevon Looney is dealing with an illness and is also questionable, while Lindy Waters III is in the same camp after leaving Friday's game late in the first-half following a highlight block that saw him hyperextend his knee.
Waters had started next to Curry in the back-court against the Grizzlies, having replaced De'Anthony Melton who remains out with a sprained ACL sustained last Tuesday. It will be interesting to see who starts at the two-guard if Waters is out, with Brandin Podziemski sure to start at point if Curry is absent.
The Clippers are coming off a 116-105 win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday, having previously come off three-straight losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets. L.A. are 7-7 on the season overall, ranking 18th in offense, eight in defense and 14th in net rating.
Sunday's win was also a notable one as it saw James Harden pass Ray Allen for the second-most 3-pointers of all-time, though the former MVP is still over 800 behind Curry who sits easily in first position.
The Clipper defense proved the difference in the teams' first meeting on October 27, having forced 21 Warrior turnovers while keeping them to 43.2% shooting from the floor and just 32.6% from three-point range.
Andrew Wiggins had a game-high 29 points on an incredibly efficient 11-of-15 shooting, while Ivica Zubac was dominant on the interior for L.A. with 23 points, 18 rebounds, six assists and two steals in nearly 38 minutes.
Combatting Zubac and his pick-and-roll partnership with Harden will be key for Golden State, as will their ability to look after the ball against a very good Clipper defense. The Warriors will be confident of their ability to record a ninth win in 10 games since that Clippers lost, particularly if Curry is eventually a confirmed starter.