The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers are in action for the last time in 2024 when they go head to head at the Chase Center on Tuesday.
Having lost each of the last three regular-season meetings between the two teams, the Warriors will head into the midweek clash looking to get one over the visitors and close out the year on a positive note.
Match preview
The Golden State Warriors returned to winning to ways on Friday night when they dug deep in the fourth quarter to secure a 109-105 victory over the Phoenix Suns at the Chase Center.
Having dropped a season-high 34 points against the Los Angeles Clippers just 24 hours earlier, Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors in scoring with 34 once again while Stephen Curry tallied 22 points on 9-of-22 shooting.
This was a much-needed result for the Golden State Warriors, who had suffered three defeats from their previous three outings, losing against the Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Clippers.
Despite the result against the Suns, it has been a largely disappointing close to the year for Steve Kerr's men, who are on a 4-16 run since November 24, having picked up 12 wins from the 15 matches to start the campaign.
This poor run of results has seen the Golden State Warriors plunge to a 16-15 record from their 31 matches to sit 10th in the Western Conference standings, just above the Suns outside the play-in qualifying places.
While the Warriors will look to secure back-to-back victories for the first time in over five weeks, they will have to be at their best against an opposing side who have won each of the last three regular-season meetings the teams since a 120-114 defeat in January 2023.
Elsewhere, high-flying Cleveland Cavaliers turned in a dominant offensive display on Friday night when they stormed to a 149-135 victory over the Denver Nuggets at the Ball Arena.
The Cavs knocked down a season-high 23 3-pointers as four of their five starters finished with at least 20 points, led by floor general Donovan Mitchell's 33, while Jarrett Allen tallied a 22-point 10-rebound double-double to sink the Nuggets.
With the victory at the Ball Arena, Cleveland have now recorded five games in which four players scored 20+ points this season, the highest tally in the NBA, as first-year head coach Kenny Atkinson continues to stamp his name in the league.
The Cavaliers head into Tuesday's clash on a sizzling six-game winning streak and have won 10 of their most recent 11 matches since suffering two back-to-back defeats against the Atlanta Hawks in November's double-header.
Atkinson's men lead the league in field goal percentage (50.6) and are the second-highest scoring side per game this season (122.7) as they sit top of the Eastern Conference table with a 27-4 record from their 31 matches.
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Team News
The Golden State Warriors remain without the services of Gary Payton, who is considered day-to-day and will assessed next week after sustaining a left calf strain against the Lakers on Boxing Day.
Moses Moody missed the victory over the Suns at the weekend through a knee injury and is a doubt for Tuesday's matchup while Brandin Podziemski has been sidelined with a lower abdominal strain.
Kuminga has been a bright spark for the Warriors in recent weeks, averaging 27 points across the last four games, and the 22-year-old will be looking to make his mark once again.
On the injury front, the Cavs remain without Isaac Okoro, who has missed each of the last four matches since sustaining a shoulder injury against the Brooklyn Nets on December 17.
Dean Wade shook off right knee soreness as he dropped 11 points in 26 minutes of action against the Nuggets and the 28-year-old should feature at the Chase Center.
Golden State Warriors possible starting 5:
Schroder, Curry, Jackson-Davis, Green, Wiggins
Cleveland Cavaliers possible starting 5:
Garland, Mitchell, Allen, Wade, Mobley
We say: Cleveland Cavaliers to win by 5+ points.
A lot has changed since the Warriors' clash against Cleveland back in November, when they went into that clash with a 7-1 record before suffering a 136-117 defeat. The Cavs are currently firing on all cylinders and we are backing them to make it four straight regular-season victories against the Warriors. body check tags ::
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