Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers will travel to Chase Center in downtown San Francisco this Friday for a meeting with the Golden State Warriors. He’ll look to carry the momentum from his 30-point night on Wednesday’s 112-102 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Golden State Warriors have had the Clippers’ number for the past couple of years, having won 17 of the last 20 regular-season match-ups – plenty of which came through blowouts and frustrating comebacks.
We’re in a whole new world now, though. Not only do the Clippers have more depth and potential, the Warriors are also ailing from the loss of two All-Stars – Klay Thompson, who’s out with an ACL tear, and Kevin Durant, who left via free agency.
The Clippers looked good on opening night
The Clippers showed poise and resiliency in the aforementioned win, as they regained composure after a slow start. Led by Kawhi, the team racked up 40 points in the second quarter and went on to dictate the pace until the final buzzer.
Kawhi’s impressive debut and the bench mob’s efficient play, which chipped in 60 big points, are the confidence boosters that the Clippers need as they take on the Warriors. Lou Williams, as always, got hot quick and ended up with 21 points and seven assists. He will pose a threat to the Warriors defense as he has dominated them a few of times before, including a 50-point explosion in January of 2018 that led to a rare road Clippers victory against the Dubs. Sweet Lou averaged 21 points and 6.7 dimes in last year’s season series.
Stephen Curry could be in for a prolific year
Stephen Curry will be showing flashbacks of his MVP seasons, as he in a somewhat similar position from his days in Davidson College, where he was pretty much the lifeblood of an entire offense.
There will be rough stretches, but of course, as a crafty scorer and arguably the best shooter of all-time, we can expect that he’ll be able to fulfill his duties. In the preseason alone, the two-time MVP blasted defenses for 26.8 points in just 24.4 minutes of play, so we’re guessing his PPG on the year can surpass 30.
Curry’s been a frustrating thorn in the Clippers’ side. Over the last four years, he has averaged 30 or more points in each of the season series, while also shooting above 50% in all but one season.
PREDICTION:
The Clippers are in a good position to earn another win, but they must avoid Wednesday’s iffy start as it’s dangerous against the Warriors’ relentless offensive attack. They should finish with the W.
D’Angelo Russell, Steph’s running mate for the time being, will have a lot to prove, and he should come out aggressive. He’s a streaky shooter and a 20-plus PPG scorer that fits the team’s system, so he’ll get heavily featured in the plays as well.
