The stage was set for a Pacific Division showdown on January 5, 2026, as the Golden State Warriors traveled south to face the Los Angeles Clippers at the brand-new Intuit Dome. With tip-off at 10 p.m. ET, fans tuned in via Peacock, NBCS-BA, and Fubo, eager to see if the Warriors could extend their newfound momentum or if the Clippers could bounce back from a recent stumble. The game carried extra weight for both squads, with playoff positioning and streaks hanging in the balance.
Coming into the contest, the Warriors boasted a 19-17 record, sitting just above the play-in pack in the Western Conference. The Clippers, meanwhile, found themselves 12th in the standings at 12-22, but recent form suggested a team on the rise. LA had won six of their last seven games, powered by an electrifying stretch from Kawhi Leonard, who was averaging a blistering 36.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game on 51-42-94 shooting splits. Golden State, for their part, had just snapped a short losing streak with a convincing 123-114 win over the Utah Jazz, following a rest-heavy blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But the Clippers’ optimism took a hit before tip-off. The team ruled out James Harden, their star playmaker and 14th in the NBA in scoring at 25.7 points per game, due to a lingering shoulder injury. Also sidelined were Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring) and Derrick Jones Jr. (knee), while Bradley Beal was already lost for the season with a hip injury. Yanic Konan Niederhauser was listed as questionable with illness. The Warriors, on the other hand, were nearly at full strength—only Seth Curry was absent, nursing a thigh injury (also referenced as sciatica in some reports), while veteran Al Horford was day-to-day but available if needed.
With Harden out, the Clippers’ offensive load fell squarely on the shoulders of Kawhi Leonard. And what shoulders they are! Leonard’s recent run had been nothing short of spectacular, including three 40-plus point outings over his last seven games. As one analyst put it, "Kawhi Leonard has been on a heater. In his last seven games, he's averaging 36.6 points per game, and the Clippers are 6-1 in that stretch." The Warriors, well aware of Leonard’s form, were expected to throw double teams his way and force the supporting cast—John Collins, Brook Lopez, Nic Batum, and Kris Dunn—to hit outside shots. None of those names, however, were considered elite marksmen, giving Golden State a potential edge if they could contain Leonard.
Ivica Zubac’s return from a Grade 2 ankle sprain added another wrinkle to the matchup. Though he managed just four points in 21 minutes in his first game back, Zubac’s history against Golden State was intimidating: he averaged 15.6 points and 12.9 rebounds in his last 10 contests against the Warriors, with the Clippers winning eight of those games. But with Zubac likely on a minutes restriction, the Warriors’ bigs—Quinten Post, Draymond Green, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and possibly Al Horford—had a chance to keep him in check. As noted in pregame analysis, "Slowing him down will be a handful for Warriors big men Quinten Post, Draymond Green, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Al Horford."
On the Golden State side, all eyes were on Stephen Curry, who entered the game ranked ninth in the NBA with 28.8 points per game. Over his last 10 games, Curry had been even hotter, averaging 30.2 points on 46% shooting from the field, 41% from deep, and 94% from the line. The Warriors’ new starting lineup—Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Moses Moody, and Quinten Post—had gone 6-3 since coach Steve Kerr made the switch, and the chemistry was beginning to show. The group posted a 53.0% rebounding percentage in 69 minutes together, better than any Clippers unit with similar minutes.
Kris Dunn was expected to draw the Curry assignment defensively, but history suggested that might not be enough. Over his last 10 games against the Clippers, Curry averaged 27.7 points and 6.9 assists, often torching LA’s perimeter defenders. The Clippers’ best hope was to double Curry and rotate aggressively, with Ty Lue known for deploying more aggressive schemes against the Warriors’ superstar dating back to their Finals battles in 2016-2018.
Statistically, the matchup was razor-thin. The Warriors averaged 115.2 points per game, just 0.6 more than the Clippers allowed (114.6). LA, meanwhile, scored 112.4 points per game, only 1.5 fewer than the 113.9 the Warriors surrendered. Both teams were among the league’s best at limiting attempts in the restricted area over the previous 10 games, but the Warriors had a slight edge, ranking 10th compared to the Clippers’ 12th.
Shooting was expected to be a major swing factor. The Clippers had led the league in wide-open three-point percentage over their last seven games, hitting a sizzling 46.3%. However, analysts warned that this level of accuracy might not be sustainable, especially without Harden to create easy looks. Golden State, meanwhile, attempted the league’s third-most wide-open threes, an effect of Curry’s unmatched off-ball gravity. As one preview noted, "That’ll put a lot of pressure on Kris Dunn, who Curry torched for 32 points on eight-for-18 shooting (eight-for-12 from deep) in 72.8 partial possessions last season."
With so much on the line, the stakes felt higher than a typical January game. For Golden State, a win would mean their first two-game winning streak of the season, setting up a potentially season-defining stretch against four consecutive under-.500 opponents at Chase Center. A victory could be the spark for a six-game run and a firmer grip on a top-six seed in the West. As one commentator put it, "If the Warriors beat the Clippers, they will have a two-game winning streak with their next four games coming against under-.500 teams at Chase Center. They'll likely be favored in all of their next five games, but the Clippers game is arguably the toughest of the stretch."
For the Clippers, the absence of Harden and other key contributors made the challenge daunting, but with Leonard in MVP-caliber form and Zubac’s history against the Warriors, an upset was far from out of the question. The Clippers’ recent surge, fueled by elite offense and hot shooting, meant that Golden State couldn’t take their foot off the gas for a second.
As tip-off approached, both teams knew what was at stake—not just in the standings, but in setting the tone for the second half of the season. Would Curry’s brilliance and the Warriors’ new-look lineup carry the day, or would Leonard’s heroics and the Clippers’ resilience deliver another statement win? With the action still unfolding, fans on both sides were glued to their screens, waiting to see which Western Conference contender would seize the moment in Los Angeles.
