Western Conference heavyweights the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder will be looking to deliver a statement of intent when they face off in battle at Intuit Dome.
Both sides have come out on top in their most recent five matches heading into Monday's encounter and will be keen to keep that run going at each other's expense.
Match preview
By far the standout team in the West this season, the Thunder have clinched the number one seed in the conference for the second year running thanks to Thursday's 133-100 triumph over the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, Mark Daigneault's men showed no signs of taking their foot off the gas anytime soon as they ran out emphatic 141-106 victors over the Charlotte Hornets in Saturday's meeting between the teams at PayCom Center.
In a wire-to-wire victory which saw them lead from the first bucket till the last, the Thunder had eight players in double digits for points, led by prime MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (30) for his 63rd consecutive 20-point performance.
With 12 matches left to play, the Thunder are still in with a shout of becoming the first team since the 2016 Golden State Warriors to win at least 70 regular-season matches but will need to be perfect from here on out.
The Thunder's next outing will see them lock horns with an opposing outfit who have been beaten in each of the last four and eight of the last 10 editions of this fixture dating back to October 2022, most recently a 116-98 defeat earlier this year.
Back on the road where they have a league-best perfect 9-0 record since the All-Star break, Monday's hosts are rolling away from home at the moment and will definitely take some stopping in Los Angeles.
After taking down Eastern Conference leaders the Cleveland Cavaliers in a commanding 132-119 victory on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Clippers made light work of the Memphis Grizzlies en route to a 128-108 triumph on Saturday.
Trailing by six points at the interval, Tyronn Lue's men upped the ante in the remaining two quarters, during which they outscored the Grizzlies by a whopping 26 points to complete an emphatic turnaround.
Continuing his dazzling run of form, James Harden was once again the point of difference for his side, tallying 30 points, four rebounds and nine assists, while Kawhi Leonard chipped in with 23 for his fifth straight 20-point game.
Despite winning eight of their last nine matches, the Clippers are still not guaranteed a place in the playoffs at the moment, as they sit seventh in the West with a 40-30 record, one win shy of the Warriors in sixth place.
Off the back of three straight wins on home turf, Monday's hosts will now set out to wrap up their four-game homestretch on a winning note before embarking on a four-game road trip against Eastern opponents.
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Team News
Los Angeles Clippers duo Seth Lundy (ankle) and Jordan Miller (hamstring) are huge doubts for this one, while Patrick Baldwin Jr will have to wait a little longer for his debut.
Norman Powell has been on a minutes restriction since returning from injury, but the hosts' leading scorer could finally be unleashed in full capacity here.
Nikola Topic and Ajay Mitchell are both guaranteed absentees for the Oklahoma City Thunder through knee and toe injuries respectively, with the former not expected to feature again this season.
Ousmane Dieng (calf), Luguentz Dort (hip) and Jalen Williams (hip) were all absent from their team's victory over the Hornets last time out and could be set to miss out once again.
Los Angeles Clippers possible starting five:
Harden, Powell; Dunn, Kawhi; Zubac
Oklahoma City Thunder possible starting five:
Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace; Wiggins, Chet; Hartenstein
We say: Thunder to win by 4+ points
The Clippers have been in scintillating form over the last couple of weeks, but the Thunder remain the team to beat, especially in the West.
We are backing the visitors to emerge victorious from what should be an absorbing affair.
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