The Golden State Warriors had their five-game winning streak squashed last time out, but they'll try to get back on track Friday night when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena.
In a pivotal Pacific Division showdown on Wednesday at Staples Center, the Los Angeles Clippers dispatched the Warriors, 111-98.
Klay Thompson paced the Warriors with 26 points and became the first player in NBA history to hit 500 3-pointers in his first three seasons in the league.
David Lee notched 20 points with seven rebounds and Stephen Curry dropped in 13 points with 11 assists. Andre Iguodala also scored 13 and Draymond Green added 10 off the bench.
Lee made a layup with just over five minutes to go to make it a four-point game. The Clippers scored six straight and led by as many as 13. Golden State never got closer than seven.
"We fought. We made some mistakes and things didn't go our way, but I saw a lot of good things out there," said Warriors coach Mark Jackson. "Tough loss, and now it's about regrouping and putting on another run. But I like the way we battled."
The Warriors will visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, then have five straight at Oracle Arena.
The Cavs kicked off their three-game western trip in style with a 110-101 victory over the reeling Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.
Kyrie Irving filled the box score with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists in leading the Cavaliers. All five Cleveland starters scored in double figures, and Dion Waiters added 10 points in a reserve role to help snap the club's four-game skid.
Spencer Hawes checked in with 19 points and Luol Deng added 18 for the Cavs, who overcame 19 turnovers by shooting 12-of-24 from 3-point range.
"It was a good win for our guys," said Cavs coach Mike Brown. "We finally buckled down and defended the 3-point line the right way."
The Cavs, despite the recent four-game slide, are just four games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They will close their trip in Los Angeles Sunday night against the Clippers.
Jarrett Jack will return to Golden State for the first time since he was a member of the Warriors last season. He finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season.
The Warriors won in Cleveland earlier this season and have taken six straight in this matchup.
[SportsNetwork.com]
