The Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors meet once more in a Christmas Day matchup with both teams hoping to get back into the groove after bowing to previous opponents.
The Clippers (19-10) will be looking for a victory and payback as well for a previous Christmas Day tiff (2013) where the Warriors won, 105-103. But that may not come easy as the Warriors continue their magical ride through the season despite dropping a 115-105 decision to the struggling Los Angeles Lakers.
Clippers Coach Doc Rivers is expected to rely on the duo of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to get the team back on the winning track. Rivers will also bank on a solid supporting cast that includes DeAndre Jordan, JJ Reddick and Jamal Crawford. The Clippers dropped their last game against the Atlanta Hawks, 107-104.
But Rivers and his boys may have to find a way to check the outside sniping of the Golden State Warriors, most especially the Splash Brothers – Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Despite a gaping hole in the middle for the Warriors, the Splash Brothers have been making waves despite the handicap using a run and gun style of play.
That hole in the middle could work to the advantage of the Clippers, especially Blake Griffin who has been known to bully his way around the paint together with the towering DeAndre Jordan.
But the focus of the night is the marquee matchup between to Chris Paul and Stephen Curry. Both players are expected to lead and make full use of their offensive arsenal and may all boil down to who can play better defense.
The two teams are currently among the top teams in the Western Conference but a bounce-back win seems to be the prerogative for both ballclubs after incurring losses in their previous assignments.
The Clippers and Warriors will start the game at 10.30 p.m. EDT with the game being broadcast on TNT. The game can also be watched online through live stream by clicking here.
