Golden State @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 24, 2018 ) Washington 122, Golden State 144

The Golden State Warriors have no shortage of ways to hurt opposing teams and are looking like a squad about to pull away from the pack in the Western Conference. The Warriors will try to push their winning streak to nine in a row when they continue a five-game road trip by visiting the Washington Wizards on Thursday.

Golden State is heading east on the road trip after easing past the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers in the first two games and watched All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson make some history on Monday. Thompson knocked down 10-of-11 from 3-point range en route to 44 points in 27 minutes in a 130-111 victory over the Lakers, matching the NBA record both for consecutive made 3-pointers to start a game (10) and for consecutive made 3-pointers within a contest. The Wizards are not playing at quite the same pace as Golden State but are beginning to play better and locked down at the defensive end in a 101-87 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday. "I thought the defense was outstanding on all parts of the game," Washington coach Scott Brooks told reporters. "We got into the ball, we did a great job of pick and rolls. We rebounded the ball. We're really good. … We give ourselves a chance to win every night if we can win the rebounding game."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, NBCS Bay Area (Golden State)

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (33-14): Thompson is no stranger to explosive scoring streaks and was in a zone on Monday, finishing 17-of-20 from the floor while reaching double figures in made 3-pointers for the second time this season. "Klay does that five or six times a season," Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "You guys have seen it. He just got red hot, white hot." Thompson pulled himself out of a lengthy shooting slump and is shooting 52.2 percent from 3-point range over the last 11 games after shooting 30.3 percent from beyond the arc over the previous 14 contests.

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (20-26): Veteran small forward Trevor Ariza is proving to be a solid trade acquisition and led the way on Monday with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting and 12 rebounds. "I think (Ariza) has challenged himself to move around a little bit, not just space the floor," Brooks told reporters. "That's sometimes part of the offense, to space in the floor. But he's a rebounder, he's a defender and he's a great locker room guy." Washington is solid at the small forward slot with Ariza starting and Otto Porter Jr., who is averaging 22 points over the last three games, coming off the bench.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Warriors C DeMarcus Cousins is 7-of-20 from the floor in two games since returning from Achilles surgery.

2. Wizards C Thomas Bryant recorded a double-double in two of the last three games.

3. Golden State took the last four in the series, including a 109-101 win at Washington last season.

PREDICTION: Warriors 135, Wizards 115