Injury Report: Andrew Bogut (concussion) out vs. Clippers

It may not matter because the Golden State Warriors have kept the machine rolling without their All-Defensive center, but tonight’s battle of the undefeated’s, with the Los Angeles Clippers taking their first of two trips to Oracle Arena to take on the Warriors, will go on as Andrew Bogut will miss his fourth consecutive game due to a concussion.

Without Bogut in the middle, it’s possible we see two things: 1) a dominant performance from DeAndre Jordan, who could venture into 20-rebound territory if the Clippers’ defense can knock the Warriors off the path of offensive unconsciousness they’ve rode to start the season and 2) a concentrated effort from the Clippers’ players to attack the basket, namely Austin Rivers, Josh Smith, Lance Stephenson, and Blake Griffin, the best on the team at getting to the basket (finishing is a different question).

The latter could pose to be difficult as Festus Ezeli, starting in Bogut’s place, has done an excellent job keeping defenders from being effective in the paint, forcing opponents to shoot 27 percent from the field on 9.3 attempts per game via SportsVU, the second best number by any player defending at least 6 attempts at the rim per game (21.1% – Dewayne Dedmon, ORL).

But here’s something to keep note of: in the three games without Bogut the Warriors are 3-0 and have won two of the three games by at least 20 points, including a 50-point beatdown over the Memphis Grizzlies. The recipe of success? Like last season, relying on it’s top tier defense (88.5 DEFRTG, 2nd best in league behind Utah) but instead, with what looks to be a motivated Stephen Curry, an early-season frontrunner for MVP thanks to averages of 36 points (53 points against the Pelicans) and 6 assists per game. Unclear which one, but if the Clippers want to make tonight competitive, they’ll have to lessen the impact of one of the two aforementioned instances, whether it be slowing down Curry or using their own top-tier offense (led by Griffin’s averages of 29.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists) to out-do Golden State’s defense.

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From a rivalry perspective, because as you may have heard these two teams don’t really like each other and relish in the opportunity to talk extensively about it, we may see a tame affair, with emphasis on the may. With the likes of Jordan, Griffin, Stephenson, Paul Pierce, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and any other player who’s compiled a notable “physical” moment when these two take the floor, they’ll be here to keep the animosity alive and well.

Given the season is early, a Clippers-Warriors matchup, especially with Bogut out of the picture, can be looked at as meaningless when looking at both team’s seasons on a larger scale. The Warriors are operating without their starting center and head coach (Steve Kerr is currently dealing with back issues) and the Clippers are still incorporating offseason talent into offensive and defensive schemes.

But that won’t take away from this being an entertaining matchup, and probably one of the best of the (early) season. 10:30 P.M. on ESPN. Don’t miss it.