The Golden State Warriors play host to the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center on Thursday.

The Clippers (1-0) were the talk of the town in the offseason and they showed why in their first game. Los Angeles played host to the Lakers in their opener, handing them a 112-102 defeat. The elite defense was on full display and they did that with Paul George still sidelined. George is expected to miss about a month of action as he continues to recover from shoulder issues but Kawhi Leonard is still there. He provided 30 points, five rebounds and five assists in that victory and it's scary to think how good he can be for a full campaign. The biggest asset to this team last year was their bench though and that was evident in the first game. Both Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell played brilliantly off the pine and that's going to make this team especially tough for the duration of the season.

The Warriors (0-0) are actually the final team to tip-off this season and it will be fascinating to see what they do this season. After finding their way into the Finals for most of the last decade, this is going to be their toughest battle yet. Losing Kevin Durant in free agency is one thing but the injury to Klay Thompson is equally as discouraging. That's why the Warriors brought in D'Angelo Russell from the Nets, as he should play second fiddle to Stephen Curry. It could be an MVP campaign for the stud shooter and Curry will have to perform at that level to get them back into the Finals. A 40-point, six-rebound and six-assist gem in the preseason is hopefully a sign of things to come and it wouldn't be surprising to see Curry lead the league in scoring with all of his cohorts now out of the picture.

Golden State has absolutely dominated this series over recent years, winning 16 of their last 18 games over Los Angeles dating back to 2014.