LOS ANGELES - Three days after Golden State suffered the worst playoff collapse in NBA history, the Warriors will travel 300 miles down the California coast for Game 3 of the Western Conference first-round series.
Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 6 o'clock with Warriors Outsiders, followed by Warriors Pregame Live at 6:30 and a scheduled 7:30 pm tip-off from Staples Center.
Since the Game 2 loss, the Warriors have been criticized for their lack of focus and effort entering their latest deep run for a title. With a Game 3 and a chance to go up 2-1 looming, the Warriors hope a sustained effort will be displayed Thursday evening.
Here's everything you need to know about the matchup.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
Warriors
F Kevin Durant
F Draymond Green
C Andrew Bogut
G Klay Thompson
G Stephen Curry
Clippers
F Danilo Gallinari
C Ivica Zubac
G Patrick Beverley
G Landry Shamet
G Shai Gilgeous-Alexader
Sports
ROTATION OUTLOOK
Warriors
With DeMarcus Cousins for the foreseeable future with a torn quad, Bogut is expected to start his first playoff game since 2016. Bogut inclusion into the starting lineup is sure to bring a defensive boost. The Warriors were outscored 85-58 in the second half of Game 2, squandering a 31 point lead in the process.
Curry and Thompson are looking for a bounce-back game in Los Angeles. While Curry finished with 29 points in Game 2, he made just 2-of-9 from the field in the second half. Meanwhile, Thompson has hit just two 3-pointers in the series.
The Warriors would also like to cut down on the turnovers, as they've accumulated 33 over the first two games of the series.
Clippers
The Clippers got a combined 61 points in Game 2 from Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, which is a given. What wasn't expected was 24 points from Gallinari.
LA is a scrappy bunch - led by defensive ace in Beverley - who have rushed shooters off the 3-point line, pushing the Warriors out of rhythm.
With the series tied, the Warriors will be wise not to let LA gain any more confidence than they already have.
Officials: Scott Foster (#48) Jason Phillips (#23), Scott Twardoski (#52), Alternate: Leon Wood (#40)
