Golden State Warriors vs LA Clippers: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - February 14th, 2022 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Golden State Warriors visit Crypto.com Arena to take on the LA Clippers on Monday. The two teams are facing off for the third time this season and the Warriors came out victorious in both their previous encounters. Stephen Curry erupted in the fourth quarter in both the games to put the Clippers away.
Stephen Curry, the Clippers killer. https://t.co/33KD3NoJoA
The Warriors are coming off a nail-biting victory against LeBron James and the LA Lakers. Klay Thompson felt like himself again, draining five three-pointers en route to 33 points. He dropped 16 of those 33 points in the fourth quarter as he sunk clutch shot after shot. Stephen Curry is back in the MVP conversation and we can expect Draymond Green to return after the All-Star break. The Dubs hold the second-best record in the NBA at 42-15 and are still the league's best-ranked defense.
The Clippers, on the other hand, are struggling to stay above .500 for the season. They acquired Norman Powell ahead of the NBA trade deadline and are operating under the expectation that their star forwards Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will return sometime later in the season. They currently sit as the eighth seed with a 28-30 record and it looks like they are stuck in the play-in tournament spots for now.
Golden State Warriors Injury Report
The Golden State Warriors feature no surprises on the injury report. James Wiseman and Draymond Green are both rehabilitating from their respective injuries. Both players might see the floor sometime around early March. Additionally, Andre Iguodala remains out due to tightness in his lower back.
Quinndary Weatherspoon is sent to the NBA G-League affiliate, Santa Cruz Warriors on his two-way deal.
LA Clippers Injury Report
The Clippers have listed Luke Kennard as questionable due to a sore left ankle. Recently added Norman Powell is sidelined for the foreseeable future after he suffered a fracture in the medial sesamoid bone in his left foot.
Norman Powell has suffered a fractured in his left foot, the Clippers have announced. https://t.co/xJpOwU3thd
The rest of the injury report remains the same. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are both sidelined until further notice. Jay Scrubb and Jason Preston are also both recovering from foot injuries.
Golden State Warriors vs LA Clippers: Predicted Lineups
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors should deploy their recent lineup in this game. The Splash brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson form the backcourt with Curry at the point. Jordan Poole and Gary Payton II will come off the bench. Andrew Wiggins should retain his small forward position and Kevon Looney will be the center as usual.
The power forward position can be filled by a plethora of players as per coach Kerr's liking. Jonathan Kuminga, Otto Porter Jr. and Juan Toscano-Anderson have all started in that position of late. The rest of the players mentioned will come off the bench along with Moses Moody, Damion Lee and Nemanja Bjelica.
LA Clippers
The LA Clippers will deploy their last lineup for this game after Powell got hurt. In their last game against the Mavericks, Luke Kennard was moved to the bench so that Terance Mann could guard Luka Doncic. We expect Kennard to take back the starting shooting guard role in this game with Mann running the second unit with Robert Covington, Amir Coffey and Isaiah Hartenstein.
Reggie Jackson should play the point guard as usual and Ivica Zubac will retain his center role. Nicolas Batum and Marcus Morris Sr. will likely form the frontcourt pair.
Golden State Warriors vs LA Clippers: Predicted Starting 5s
Golden State Warriors
G - Stephen Curry | G - Klay Thompson | F - Andrew Wiggins | F - Jonathan Kuminga | C - Kevon Looney.
LA Clippers
G - Reggie Jackson | G - Luke Kennard | F - Marcus Morris Sr. | F - Nicolas Batum | C - Ivica Zubac.