The Golden State Warriors play host to the Miami Heat on Thursday night in a showdown from the Chase Center. With both teams have made NBA Finals appearances over the last few years, this has been a matchup that everyone in the league has been looking forward to. The Heat come in at 18-12, winners of three straight, while the Warriors are coming off a lose that put them at .500. Last season, they split a pair of matchups, as each team won the home game, as it’ll be interesting to see if that’s the case again in this one. Regardless, given the star power on hand, fans won’t want to miss this one.

Heat Take Win Streak To The Road

Miami finds itself in fifth-place in the Eastern Conference standings heading into this one, though it’s clear that they’ve been finding more and more success of late. They’ve won three games in a row, four of their last five, and six of their last eight. They have been blessed with a number of those games coming at home but with a 9-6 record on the road so far this season, it’s clear that they can find success regardless of where they are playing. Golden State does represent an uptick in opponent on the road too but with plenty of experience to lean on, this group expects to be ready to go. The road trip continues over the next week, while it doesn’t necessarily get any easier either, so continuing with the momentum could go a long way towards them continuing to move up the Eastern Conference standings.

The Heat have a lengthy injury report as they head across the country, which could definitely play an impact in this one. Josh Richardson and Caleb martin are both doubful, while a trio of likely starters are questionable. All eyes will be on the status of Jimmy Butler (calf), as he is the heart and soul of this team and will certainly be missed if he’s unable to make an appearance in this one.

Miami has seven double-digit scorers but know that they’ll be without at least one in this one, while another two are questionable. Butler (21.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.6 apg) also makes a huge difference on the defensive end and will be tough to replace. The offense likes to play slow but the three point shot, which they rank first in from a percentage standpoint, has helped keep them in quite a few games. A drop off in rebounding, in addition to the defense struggling, could make things even more challenging on the road against a potentially potent offense.

Warriors Eyeing Chance At Win Column

The Warriors had put together a five-game winning streak before losing the last time out, as it has been a challenge for this team to find much consistency this season. Losing on the road to Denver isn’t a massive concern, though the five wins prior didn’t come against opponents that turned heads, except for the Celtics. Getting to welcome Miami to town gives them a good level of competition to close out the calendar year, with a pair of very winnable games coming up next at home. With a 9-6 record at the Chase Center as compared to a 6-8 record on the road, there’s little doubt that they’ll be happy to be at home in this one. The Warriors have won three-straight at home against the Heat and anything other than making it a fourth-straight in this one would be a disappointment for the fans.

Getting healthy has helped this team over the last few weeks too, as they only expect two absences in this one. Gary Payton II (calf) is out into early January, which hurts their depth but won’t make or break their rotation. With Draymond Green suspended too, those seem like inconveniences more than anything.

All eyes will be on how Golden State plays on the offensive end, especially at home with their weapons intact. Steph Curry expects to have a great game in this one, especially if Butler is unable to go and check him on the defensive end. Add in Klay Thompson playing better and better of late, and one of the NBA’s best scoring duos seems to be gaining traction. Who supports them expects to be the question though, especially with Green suspended and Chris Paul struggling to make a splash with his offense. With the Heat likely missing so much though, Curry and Thompson have enough between the two to lead the way and set the tone.