Golden State Warriors
Dec 13, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) high fives forward Kevin Durant (35) during the second half of a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. The Warriors defeated the Pelicans 113-109. USA TODAY Sports/Derick E. Hingle

The Miami Heat (14-30) will host the red-hot Golden State Warriors (38-6) in an inter-conference contest at the American Airlines Arena on Monday evening.

The Warriors enter the contest on the back of seven consecutive victories dating back to their 117-106 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 8. Since then, the Warriors have annihilated top tier teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets, and are on pace for another 70-win season.

On Sunday, a jet-lagged Golden State team conceded an early 11-point lead to the Orlando Magic besides coughing up a dozen turnovers. But they switched gears in the third quarter, outscoring Scott Skiles' team 42-23 in the third quarter courtesy an explosion from Stephen Curry, who made seven of his 13 three-point attempts for 27 points. Curry's Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, also drained seven out of nine threes.

"It (the excessive travelling) just challenges you mentally. We were talking about it in the locker room before the game. It is early, but it doesn't matter what time the game is, we have go out and get a win," Curry, the reigning two-time MVP said after Golden State's 38th win of the season, via ESPN.

Golden State Warriors vs Miami Heat: Kevin Durant becoming a defensive monster

Kevin Durant, by his standards, had a quiet scoring night but contributed 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks as the Warriors coasted to 118-98 victory in Game 2 of their ongoing four-game road trip which culminates with a visit to Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. "Third quarter was great. It seems to be the time when we pick up our defence and it translates into some transition hoops and 3-pointers," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the team shut down Orlando in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, the Miami Heat, destined to return to the lottery, are on a three-game winning streak thanks to their veteran backcourt duo of Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters. The latter dropped 33 points during Miami's 109-97 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. After the win, Waiters credited point guard Dragic for breaking down defences with his quickness, via ESPN. "Goran is one of the best in the league (at finishing around the rim). I got some tips from him this past weekend, just being physical when you get there, lowering your shoulder. I get there (the rim) with the best of them. Now it's about concentrating when I get there."

During Miami's winning streak, Dragic is averaging 26.0 points and 5.3 assists. Ahead of Monday's game, the Slovenian said not intimidated at the thought of going up against Stephen Curry. "Our next game, we are going to play a good team. But we're at home, so ... why not?"

The Golden State Warriors will wrap up their road trip with a visit to Charlotte on Wednesday before returning home to host rivals Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. Last week, the NBA announced that Warriors stars Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry will start the 2017 All-Star Game in Houston next month.

Golden State Warriors vs Miami Heat live stream: How to watch

Start time: 7:30PM (ET), 4:30PM (PT), 10:30AM on Tuesday (AEST), 11:30AM (AEDT)
On TV: CSN Bay Area, Fox Sports Sun (USA)
Live Stream: NBA League Pass (Global)

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