Golden State Warriors fans hope to see the Klay Thompson they witnessed on television last week when the defending champions open a three-day, two-game homestand with their first matchup of the season against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

The Pacific Division rivals both were missing key players in their last outing and came away with different results.

The Clippers were without Paul George (strained right hamstring) and Luke Kennard (strained right calf) when they completed a 3-0 homestand with a 121-114 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night. Norman Powell and Reggie Jackson led the way with 30 and 27 points, respectively.

The Clippers also got eight points and five assists from Kawhi Leonard in just his third game since returning from nearly a month-long absence due to soreness in his surgically repaired right knee. The five-time All-Star has played no more than 25 minutes in any game during his comeback and has averaged just 8.3 points and 4.3 assists in the last three games.

Despite regular lineup shuffling, the Clippers have counted upon depth to get the season off to a winning start.

“Coach (Tyronn Lue) has been on us about making plays and playing for each other, offensively and defensively,” said Powell, who ranks second on the team to George in total points despite making just five starts in 18 games. “Talking, communicating, defensively the different switches and coverages that we’re in … trusting one another, trusting the pass offensively. That’s the style of play we got to continue building.”

Assuming Leonard and Thompson both play Wednesday, it would be the first time they’ve gone head-to-head since Leonard joined the Clippers in July of 2019.

The last time they shared a court was Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, when Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to a championship on the same night as Thompson blew out his left knee, beginning a two-year absence from the NBA.

Thompson returned to face the Clippers twice last season, but it was Leonard who missed those games. Leonard sat out the entire 2021-22 season with a torn right ACL.

Both players remain on minutes restrictions. Thompson played 36 minutes Sunday at Houston, his second most this season, then sat out the second night of a back-to-back Monday at New Orleans.

Leonard, meanwhile, was limited to 23 minutes in Monday’s win over the Jazz.

Thompson had 20 points in the Warriors’ most recent home game – last Friday against the New York Knicks – before turning back the clock at Houston. He exploded for 10 3-pointers against the Rockets and 41 points in Golden State’s first road win of the season.

Playing without Thompson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, all of whom were resting, the Warriors were drubbed 128-83 on the road Monday by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Thompson figures to be beaming with confidence in his first outing since his big night in Houston.

“I really let the trolls get to me,” he said of his season start that featured 33.6-percent shooting on 3-pointers before Sunday’s 10-for-13. “I had just a revelation where I was like, ‘Man, just be you and everything will play out.’ Criticize me all you want. But I know how great I am and what I’m capable of, and I think real Warriors fans know that as well.”

–Field Level Media

The Milwaukee Bucks look to continue their recent dominance over their I-94 rival as they host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.

The Bucks have won 16 of the last 17 regular season matchups against Chicago, as well as ending the Bulls season last year in the first round of the playoffs.

The teams look to start a winning streak after picking up solid wins at home on Monday night. The Bucks took down the Portland Trailblazers 119-111 and the Bulls had arguably one of their better performances of the year when they ended the Boston Celtics nine-game winning streak in a 121-107 victory.

Chicago is 2-0 against the reigning Eastern Conference champion Celtics this season, with both victories at home. The Bulls went a combined 1-15 against the Miami Heat, Celtics, Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers last season.

“One of the things we talked about before the season had started was that against the top four teams in the east and the west we didn’t play particularly well,” Billy Donovan said. “I think we’ve been way more competitive in those games than we were a year ago.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the Bucks with 30.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, the fifth best rebounding number in the NBA heading into play Tuesday. Antetokounmpo scored 37 points on 16-of-24 shooting from the floor Monday despite being added to the injury report pregame with left calf tightness.

“It feels good to see the ball go in and be able to do what you’ve been working on,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m trying to improve physically but I don’t ever think I’m 100 percent, but slowly trying to get there.”

The Bucks also got 17 points from Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen, while Brook Lopez, the NBA’s leading shot-blocker at 2.8 per game, blocked five shots while scoring 14 points.

The Bulls are led in scoring by DeMar DeRozan at 25.4 points per game to go along with 4.2 assists. DeRozan scored 28 points Monday and Zach LaVine scored 22. Nikola Vucevic, the NBA’s third-leading rebounder at 11.8 per game, grabbed 13 boards and scored 12 points.

Key role player Pat Connaughton made his season debut for the Bucks on Monday after returning from right calf soreness. He scored seven points while grabbing two boards and picked up two steals in 16 minutes.

Khris Middleton (wrist) remains out for the Bucks but both he and Wesley Matthews (hamstring) were assigned to the G-League’s Wisconsin Herd on Monday to continue their rehab. Middleton has yet to make his debut this season.

For Chicago, Lonzo Ball remains out with a knee injury. Additionally, Goran Dragic struggled through Monday’s game due to a neck injury. There is no word on Dragic’s status for Wednesday.

“I think he’s got like a stinger, he had some numbness going down his arm and into his elbow,” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said. “I just didn’t think he looked great out there and he was bothered by it.”

–Field Level Media

The New Orleans Pelicans will hit the road for the Thanksgiving holiday and start in San Antonio on Wednesday night to square off against the struggling Spurs.

The Pelicans have won four of their past five games, including 128-83 over short-handed Golden State on Monday in the finale of a six-game homestand. Brandon Ingram scored a season-high 34 points in the win, with Devonte’ Graham adding a season-best 19 points off the bench.

New Orleans also got 15 points from CJ McCollum while Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points and 13 rebounds and Jose Alvarado tallied 10 points. The Pelicans created 26 turnovers, 15 of them steals, against a Golden State team that was without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.

“Golden State didn’t have their guys tonight,” Pelicans coach Willie Green said afterward. “We just needed to play to our standards. We need to respect our opponents. We just needed to play our style. I thought we did that tonight. It’s good to get a win.”

New Orleans forged a 19-point lead after one quarter and was ahead by 24 at halftime. Ingram had 20 points before the break.

As if New Orleans needed it, Zion Williamson was back after missing three games with a bruised foot. He had nine points and four assists in 23 minutes.

The Spurs will head home after a disastrous five-game trip in which they lost in San Francisco, Portland, Sacramento and in Los Angeles twice, with the average margin of defeat 23 points per game. The closest game on the trip was a 117-110 loss to the Trail Blazers. That was the only game of the five that San Antonio had all of its regular starters available.

The Spurs’ most recent setback was a 123-92 loss Sunday to the Lakers, who won easily despite playing without injured LeBron James. San Antonio was down by 18 at the half and then missed its first 11 shots of the third quarter to put to rest any notion of getting back in the game.

Devin Vassell led San Antonio with 17 points, with Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan scoring 12 each, and Tre Jones and Josh Richardson adding 10 apiece. San Antonio, which has dropped 10 of their past 11 contests, played without Jakob Poeltl, who had been its leading scorer in two of its past three games.

“We have a young team. Winning is hard in the NBA,” said Gorgui Dieng, who started in Poeltl’s spot. “They’re learning. Whether you win or lose, just make sure you have the right habits. Tonight was a very bad game for us.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich also missed the game after falling ill beforehand. Assistant coach Brett Brown ran the team in his absence.

“The end of a long road trip, five games in seven nights, is always going to be difficult,” Brown said after Sunday’s loss. “We’re better than we played (Sunday). They have competed at a far greater level than they did tonight. We will respond. They’re a prideful group.”

Wednesday’s game will mark the first contest in a three-game homestand for San Antonio. Nine of the Spurs’ next 11 contests will be at home.

–Field Level Media

The Washington Wizards have enjoyed a reversal of fortune by walking away with six wins in their last seven games, but seeing their star limp off the court is cause for concern.

The Wizards begin a back-to-back series of games at the Miami Heat on Wednesday with Bradley Beal’s availability in limbo due to a right quadriceps injury.

“He’ll be evaluated and then we will make a determination,” Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said.

Beal sustained the injury during the final minute of the Wizards’ 106-102 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. He finished the game with 26 points, one shy of his total in Washington’s 107-106 overtime win over an undermanned Miami squad on Friday.

Beal has missed five of his team’s 17 games this season due to a stint in health and safety protocol following a positive test for COVID-19. He boasts team-leading averages in points (22.7) and assists (5.8) points while shooting a robust 51.2 percent from the floor.

Kyle Kuzma recorded his fifth double-double of the season after collecting 28 points and 10 rebounds against the Hornets. He had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the previous encounter versus the Heat.

Kristaps Porzingis followed up producing 20 points, a season-high 17 rebounds and five assists against the Heat with an off-night versus Charlotte.

“He’s going to have those nights. Hopefully they’re far and few between, but he’s shot the ball at such an exceptional level, it’s almost like he was due for one of those nights,” Unseld said of Porzingis, who made just 4 of 19 attempts from the floor on Sunday.

The Wizards overcame Porzingis’ off-night to post a 5-1 record on their season-high six-game homestand. Now, the team is embarking on a stretch of 17 of its next 23 games on the road.

“We have some tough road games coming up,” Kuzma said, per NBC Sports Washington. “If we want to be a good team in this league, we have to handle business on the road and create opportunity for us.”

The Heat have struggled to handle their business on the road this season. They fell to 1-7 away from home following a fruitless four-game trek that concluded with a 105-101 setback to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.

Kyle Lowry, who scored a team-high 24 points against Washington on Friday, once again led the club with 21 versus Minnesota.

Max Strus had 19 and Bam Adebayo collected 17 points and 14 rebounds for Miami, which played without star Jimmy Butler (knee) for the third straight game as well as Tyler Herro (ankle), Duncan Robinson (ankle) and Gabe Vincent (knee).

The absences led to extended minutes for the short-handed Heat.

“I’m not saying this as an excuse: The fourth quarter, you know, the guys’ legs are probably a little bit dead from this road trip,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They’ve been playing major minutes. That’s not to take anything away from the Timberwolves. That’s certainly not to make an excuse for anything. Guys are giving everything they have.”

–Field Level Media

The Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks both look to regain some momentum Wednesday night when they meet in what is the first contest of a six-game homestand for the Celtics.

Despite a career-high 23 points from Josh Green, the Mavericks dropped a 98-97 decision to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. The Nuggets played without Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon, but erased a halftime deficit by outscoring the Mavericks 24-18 in the third quarter.

“We just came out flat in that third,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said. “As coaches, myself, we’ve got to be better. We came out flat. They took advantage of that, took control of the game. But again, we fight back and put ourselves in a position to win at the end.”

It wasn’t the first time Dallas came up short against an undermanned team this season. The Mavericks also lost when the Washington Wizards were without Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis. They also fell to the Orlando Magic without Paolo Banchero, and the New Orleans Pelicans when they were without Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.

“If a player’s out, he’s out,” Green said. “Nothing shifts for me. I’m trying to win, no matter who is on the court. It could be a high school team; I’m still trying to win. So, I don’t think it really matters.”

The Celtics are coming off Monday’s 121-107 loss to the Chicago Bulls that ended a nine-game winning streak.

Boston committed 15 turnovers in the loss. Those miscues helped lead to 22 fastbreak points for the Bulls, who made 14 3-pointers and ended a four-game losing streak. Boston shot 43.7 percent from the field.

“I just thought Chicago did a great job,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “They obviously haven’t been playing well. They did a great job coming out (and) just kind of being the desperate team, the hungrier team, and they wanted to win to feel good about themselves.”

Boston point guard Marcus Smart played Monday after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury. He had eight points, eight assists and one rebound in 35 minutes.

Wednesday’s game will feature two of the NBA’s top scorers in Boston forward Jayson Tatum and Dallas guard Luka Doncic. Tatum is averaging 30.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, and Doncic enters the matchup averaging an NBA-best 33.5 points to go with 9.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.9 steals per contest.

If Dallas guard Spencer Dinwiddie plays Wednesday, he may not be at 100 percent. Dinwiddie, who is averaging 17.6 points over his last 10 games, dislocated his left shoulder in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to Denver. He did not practice Monday and is listed as questionable.

Kidd kept it vague when asked if Dinwiddie might miss time because of the injury.

“Not that I know of,” Kidd said following Monday’s practice. “We’ll see how he feels (Tuesday), but I am hoping that he’s ready to go on Wednesday.”

The Celtics are 6-1 at home this season.

–Field Level Media