NBA Schedule 2019: Clippers vs. Warriors TV Channel, Live Stream and Latest Odds
A new era begins for the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night when they host the Los Angeles Clippers.
The four-time NBA champions will play their first competitive game at the Chase Center, which has replaced the much-loved Oracle Arena as the Warriors' home after almost four decades.
If their new swanky new surroundings represent the start of a new era off the court, the Warriors have undergone just as significant a change on it.
After three seasons in the Bay Area, Kevin Durant has swapped the Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets.
Without Durant—who would have been ruled out of the season with an Achilles injury anyway even had he chosen to remain with the Warriors—Golden State has lost the man who turned a great team into an almost unstoppable force.
In three seasons in the Bay Area, Durant won back-to-back titles and NBA Finals MVP awards.
The second overall pick of the 2007 draft reached the Finals again last season, before injury struck. Without Durant, Golden State went down in six games to the Toronto Raptors and looked distinctly like a team that, for the first time in two years, had lost its aura of invincibility.
Adding to Golden State's issues, Klay Thompson is unlikely to play this season after tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
"We've kind of left the door open in case the rehab goes perfectly and the doctors say he can go. But the reality is, on April 1, that's the nine-month mark [... ] April versus nine months post-op for an ACL," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area on Tuesday.
"We have to prepare our young guys to fill that role behind him, and when he gets back, whenever that is, hopefully these young guys now are developed and in the rotation and ready to really be contributors on a playoff team and we can get better."
Ironically, the Warriors will begin their new era by taking on Kawhi Leonard, the very man who almost single-handedly orchestrated their downfall in the NBA Finals last June.
Golden State had no answers for the 28-year-old in the series and Leonard was named NBA Finals MVP after leading the Raptors to their first-ever title, before swapping Toronto for Los Angeles in the offseason.
Leonard's career with the Clippers got off to a promising start, with the Clippers defeating the Lakers on opening night.
Leonard finished with 30 points, six rebounds and five assists, shooting 10-for-19 from the field in 32 minutes.
The three-time All-Star had a difficult start, turning the ball over twice and missing two shots, before draining the next seven shots, silencing the boos from Lakers fans that had accompanied his introduction.
While the Clippers were technically playing at home, Lakers fans made themselves heard and booed loudly when Leonard spoke before the game to thank the fans for coming.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP, however, wasn't too bothered by the reception.
"I didn't pay attention to it too much," he told ESPN.
"I was just trying to let the fans know the appreciation we have for them for coming out tonight."
Here's everything you need to know ahead of Thursday.
When and where is the game?
The Los Angeles Clippers take on the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on Thursday, October 24.
Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.
TV channel
The season opener will be broadcast live on TNT.
Live stream
A live stream will be available via TNT's digital platforms as well as via fuboTV.
Odds
According to Oddschecker, the Clippers are a one-point favorite and are 47/50 to cover the spread, while the Warriors have slightly longer odds at 19/20.
