ORACLE ARENA, OAKLAND, CA — The Los Angeles Clippers renewed their rivalry with the Golden State Warriors today at #Roaracle in front of a national TV audience on ABC, with Jeff Van Gundy and former Dubs head coach Mark Jackson as commentators.
The Clippers were without Blake Griffin (right elbow surgery) and Jamal Crawford (right calf contusion). Matt Barnes was listed with a strained left hamstring, but started the game.
1ST QUARTER: Klay Breaks Out Of His Slump
Unlike the first half of the Christmas game, both teams came out hitting their shots.
JJ Redick hit a two then a three, Draymond Green drilled his first attempt from beyond the arc, and Klay Thompson looked as if he was in rhythm, getting a stop-pivot-fade to fall as well as another bucket in front of an Andrew Bogut off-ball screen, despite being in a shooting slump the past four games.
But he committed a ball-handling error while trying to drive, jumped in the air, and threw the ball too high to Stephen Curry back up top for a backcourt violation, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr took the first timeout with 5:50 remaining in the first frame, down 18-13 to the Clippers, as Golden State shot 5-for-10 from the field compared to Los Angeles’ 8-for-12.
Klay added another turnover shortly thereafter, stepping on the sideline while attacking, although Green had gotten the ball stuck in the baseline corner as he passed to Thompson. Redick made Klay pay, getting a pull-up three with no Clippers in the paint as the ball was inbounded to Chris Paul after the violation. That gave Los Angeles a 20-15 lead with 4:19 to go.
But Green answered back with his own triple as Curry absorbed the expected defensive contact from Paul, then delivered a left-handed behind-the-back assist to the trailing Draymond, awaiting at the top.
Thompson then came alive again, getting a trey from the right elbow from Green as Curry set the pick down low, then getting a catch-and-shoot to drop after curling around another low screen.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers took a timeout as the Warriors had trimmed the lead to 26-23.
As the quarter came to a close, Green cashed in another three from the left corner as Thompson and Leandro Barbosa played “tic-tac-toe”. Then with less than ten seconds to play, Green got a rebound after Austin Rivers missed a floater and Glen Davis the putback, and Andre Iguodala slowed things down, directing traffic as the Warriors crossed halfcourt to take the last shot.
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Klay came off a screen on the right elbow and converted the catch-and-shoot assist from Iguodala with 4.8 seconds remaining, to put the Warriors ahead after one period, 29-28. Thompson led all scorers with 12 points, while Green added 11 points. Redick led the Clippers with 9 points.
2ND QUARTER:
The bench unit began the second frame with David Lee, who got a rare “DNP” against the Mavs two days prior. The second stringers held serve, getting a dunk from Shaun Livingston after Iguodala drove hard into the paint and stopped on a dime, leaned back, and with three defenders on him, delivered the two-handed laser to the wide open Livingston under the hoop.
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Iguodala helped out his teammate Livingston once more, as “Sdot” (Livingston’s nickname) went too hard off glass after Iguodala led the break when Spencer Hawes missed. Iguodala grabbed Livingston’s miss, gathered himself, and converted the putback under duress, to tie the game, 35-35 with 9:06 to play.
Green didn’t check back in until 4:56 left in the half, contributing a putback as Hawes mis-timed a rebound, but he missed two at the charity stripe and made a turnover, staying in as the power forward with Livingston and starters Curry, Thompson, and Bogut.
After Redick was short on an jumper, Oracle finally got buzzing when Curry went with some razzle-dazzle to crossover Paul on the left elbow and drain the pull-up, giving Golden State a 39-38 lead with 5:16 left.
Bogut then swatted Davis, who had gotten by the Warriors on a couple of occasions with the double-clutch, but not this time.
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Green subbed back in and Thompson immediately drained a catch-and-shoot on a set play. Los Angeles head coach Rivers called timeout and it was Warriors, 41-38, with 4:40 remaining.
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Livingston came alive again, getting a putback dunk of Klay’s layup that went too hard off glass, then a reverse two-handed jam on a “tic-tac-toe” with Green via Curry.
Then after Redick missed a jumper up top, Livingston got the shoulder on Austin Rivers and converted an and-one, giving the Warriors a 50-40 lead with 3:00 to play.
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Rivers then mishandled a Redick swing pass after Redick drove past Thompson, and Kerr called timeout, to an Oracle standing ovation.
After a Klay trey plus blocked shot while anticipating another one of Rivers’ floater attempts, Livingston wasn’t done, getting a driving layup over Rivers after hesitating with a fake spin on the dribble drive.
But Redick answered back with two straight buckets, one a pull-up after faking a shot on Thompson and dribbling in a couple steps for the jumper from the left elbow, the second a three-pointer on a catch-and-shoot from the left corner, beyond the arc, assisted by Paul.
That cut the Golden State lead to 57-50 at halftime, as Curry committed a turnover on the Warriors’ last possession try.
Thompson led all scorers with 17 points on 7-for-9 field, 3-for-4 downtown, while Green added 13. Livingston had 11 points, 6 rebounds. Curry was just 1-for-5 shooting for 4 points and 3 turnovers. Redick led the Clippers with 14 points, as DeAndre Jordan tallied 8 rebounds and Paul added 8 assists.
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