Coming off one of their best performances over the past couple weeks, the Warriors on Sunday will take their search for consistency to South Beach for a game against the Miami Heat.
Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 3 p.m., with tipoff scheduled for 4:05.
The Warriors (17-6) dazzled the Magic on Friday in Orlando, winning by 21, but have not posted consecutive impressive games since beating the Clippers in LA and the Spurs in San Antonio more than a month ago.
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The Warriors will be without Andre Iguodala for the second consecutive game.
The Heat (11-11), who have lost two of their last three games, continue to have trouble scoring, averaging 98.3 points over the last 10 games.
BETTING LINE:
Warriors by 10.5
MATCHUP TO WATCH:
Klay Thompson vs. Dion Waiters: Waiters drained a game-winning shot over Thompson last Jan. 23 in Miami, and the Warriors guard has been yearning for another chance. This is his first opportunity, since Waiters didn’t play in the game last month in Oakland. Thompson knows the Heat are a more confident group when Waiters is on his game. On the flip side, the Warriors are almost unbeatable when Thompson is playing well at both ends. He’ll have chances to burn Waiters.
Golden State Warriors
INJURY REPORT:
Warriors: G Stephen Curry (R hand contusion) and F Kevin Durant (R ankle sprain) are available. F Andre Iguodala (L knee soreness) is listed as out. C Damian Jones is on assignment with the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors.
Heat: G Rodney McGruder (L tibia surgery), F Okaro White (L foot surgery) and C Hassan Whiteside (L knee bone bruise) are listed as out.
LAST 10:
Warriors: 7-3. Heat: 5-5.
GAME OFFICIALS:
Courtney Kirkland (crew chief), Eric Dalen and Mark Lindsay.
SERIES HISTORY:
The Warriors ground out a 97-80 win on Nov. 6 in the first of two meetings this season. The team’s split two games last season, each winning on its home court. The Warriors have won nine of the last 12 overall.
THREE THINGS TO WATCH:
THE FLOW CHART: The Warriors aim for a rhythm to their offense or, as coach Steve Kerr refers to it, a “flow.” Few teams are better at disrupting that flow than the Heat. Miami’s aggressive, physical defense historically forces the Warriors to dig deeper into their offensive arsenal. With Whiteside out, there is a good chance they will use more pick-and-roll than usual. Expect Draymond Green to get open looks.
THE ARCS: The Heat rank fourth in 3-point attempts (32.4 per game) but are 18th in percentage (35.8). Whiteside’s absence will mean smaller lineups and, therefore, even more launching from deep. The Warriors rank sixth in defending from deep (34.9 percent), so Miami would seem to be flying into the spider’s web.
THE GIVEAWAYS: Both teams are bottom-five in turnovers, with the Warriors averaging 16.4 per game and the Heat at 15.9. Whereas the Warriors can find ways to offset that with their league-leading assist totals, the Heat are 25th in assists and are third from the bottom in assists-to-turnovers ratio. If the Warriors defend well, they should be able to generate transition offense.