Golden State @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 30, 2017 ) Golden State 141, L.A. Clippers 113

The Golden State Warriors cemented their status atop the Western Conference with a win at the Houston Rockets on Thursday despite being without Kevin Durant (calf). The Warriors will try follow that up and ride record-breaking forward Draymond Green to a fourth consecutive victory when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

Green recorded his 21st career triple-double in the 124-114 win at Houston, collecting 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists to break the franchise record of 20 previously held by Tom Gola. "That's special, to do it so fast, and his consistency every night is huge," Golden State point guard Stephen Curry told reporters of Green. "He didn't really play his first two years really. So, to see how fast he has gotten to that level, the way he has raised his level of play, is pretty impressive." The Clippers have their own power forward capable of flirting with nightly triple-doubles in Blake Griffin, but his 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists weren't enough to lift the team past Oklahoma City on Thursday. The 127-117 setback snapped a four-game winning streak for Los Angeles, which is trying to climb back to .500 while facing the defending champs twice in five days with a trip to Golden State scheduled for next week.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State), FS Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (31-8): Durant suffered the calf strain in the first quarter of a 125-122 win at Dallas on Wednesday but ended up playing 38 minutes in that game before sitting out the back-to-back and earning himself a day-to-day designation. Durant carried the team when Curry sat out 11 games with an ankle injury and Curry helped Green return the favor on Thursday by scoring 29 points. Curry is on fire in three games since his return, averaging 33 points on 60.7 percent shooting while going 20-of-36 from 3-point range, including the game-winning 3-pointer at Dallas.

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (17-20): Los Angeles dropped its last 11 meetings with the Warriors but is feeling good about its team right now after winning six of the last eight games. Even Thursday's loss to the Thunder provided some room for optimism as Lou Williams continued his torrid scoring pace and DeAndre Jordan scored a season-high 26 points to go with 17 rebounds. Williams, who recorded a double-double with 26 points and 10 assists in the loss, is averaging 30.1 points over the last seven contests.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Warriors PF David West suffered a sprained left ankle on Thursday and is day-to-day.

2. Clippers PG Milos Teodosic (plantar fasciitis) left Thursday's game and is questionable for Saturday.

3. Golden State earned a 141-113 win at Los Angeles in the most recent meeting on Oct. 30 behind 31 points from Curry.

PREDICTION: Warriors 126, Clippers 112