STAPLES CENTER, LOS ANGELES, CA — The Golden State Warriors were in SoCal tonight to try and beat the Los Angeles Clippers on their home floor for the first time since Game 1 of last season’s Western Conference Playoffs.
The Warriors would have to do it without the services of power forward Draymond Green, who was announced by Steve Kerr at morning shootaround as out for this game with inflamed shins.
The Clippers were without shooting guard Jamal Crawford due to a deep calf contusion.
1ST QUARTER: Blake Beasts On Warriors
Los Angeles got out to a quick start, exploiting the absence of Green, as Blake Griffin got two easy buckets at the rim, the first a gliding lefty banker assisted by JJ Redick and the second on a pick-and-roll finger roll via Chris Paul.
Meanwhile Harrison Barnes missed a post-up against Redick, Klay Thompson missed a triple from the right elbow, Andrew Bogut got called for clearing out on an attack by David Lee versus DeAndre Jordan, and Griffin was involved on the third score, offering a swing pass to Matt Barnes for a trey from the deep right corner, to make it 7-0.
But on the ensuing possession, the Warriors broke their drought as Bogut found Thompson backdoor from the pinch post. It was 7-2, Clippers, early on with 10:08 remaining.
Lee got a two-hand dunk facilitated by Stephen Curry‘s dissection of the Clippers’ defense and a no-look dime…
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…then Curry scored a triple from the left corner after Lee grabbed a missed trey by Harrison, but Los Angeles answered back with Griffin posting up and warding off Bogut for a nice entry pass by Paul, then after a few missed shots by both teams, Griffin skied in for a lefty dunk as Paul dribbled hard into the teeth of the Warriors, all the way to the baseline, before finding Blake up top with a lane to make his charge at the rim unstoppable.
Golden State had trouble stringing buckets together, as Curry scissored past the Los Angeles perimeter for a nice layup that went too hard, but was put back by Bogut, but that was answered by Paul weaving around the Warriors’ confused defense, a Matt Barnes jumpstop layup, and turn-and-face banker on the left block by Griffin over Bogut.
By then, Griffin had already collected 10 points, and his 11th and 12th points were scored shortly thereafter as he drilled a jumper enabled by a pick-and-roll with Paul. Lee then got swatted on a lefty drive against Jordan and Kerr called timeout with the Warriors down, 26-16, and 2:28 left.
Golden State had its opportunities to turn the tide, but after Andre Iguodala stole a pass from Paul, blew a reverse layup too hard off the board and rim on the ensuing transition. Iguodala would be off kilter for a good portion of the night from then on.
Prior to that, Curry took a bad shot, off balance and early in the shotclock, and Thompson’s stroke was off, missing an open right baseline shot, one of five misses in the quarter.
The misses were contagious, as even after Lee made a right elbow jumper on the weakside, he was short on a righty inside shot against Matt Barnes, then got swatted by Jordan as previously mentioned.
Sensing the lack of rhythm, Kerr opted for Shaun Livingston and Festus Ezeli early this game, replacing Curry and Bogut, but the miscues continued, as Ezeli and Iguodala blew a handoff on the deep left elbow and Austin Rivers made them pay with a run-out, uncontested slam dunk to make it 30-16, Clippers, with 1:01 to go.
The quarter ended on a whimper as Klay shot an airball, although he complained that he was fouled. Luckily for the Warriors, with 2.0 seconds remaining after the airball, Glen Davis couldn’t convert a tough layup at the buzzer as Matt Barnes connected with him on a touchdown pass.
The Clippers took a 30-18 lead into the second frame as Griffin led all scorers with 12 points.
2ND QUARTER: Chipping Away Thanks To Steph
Golden State got off on the wrong foot again to start the second period, as Leandro Barbosa, Iguodala, and Livingston all missed badly — although replays showed he was slapped on the wrist on the shot — and, running back on defense, Livingston picked up a technical arguing with the ref.
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Barbosa still managed to drill a three and Iguodala fed Ezeli nicely on a cut for a lay-in, drawing the Dubs a little closer, 33-25, with 8:18 to go, but Barbosa launched an airball on a three from up top, epitomizing the rocky start for the Warriors from the field.
Kerr brought back Curry at the next timeout, but the Clippers forged ahead, as Hedo Turkoglu nailed a trey from the left elbow and Griffin abused rookie James Michael McAdoo on a killer spin move from the left low block for another lay-in.
The Clips were back up, 40-27, with 5:37 remaining as LA head coach Doc Rivers called timeout.
The Clippers took their largest lead of 17 points as Thompson missed again, this time from the right baseline, Redick made a jumper, and Bogut’s inbound after the make went into Griffin’s hands. Eventually, Matt Barnes found Griffin in the chaos of the bad pass, for an easy two underneath the hoop.
Los Angeles was now up 44-30, but Curry came back with a four-point play on a catch-and-pivot with the foul on Matt Barnes.
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The Steph Curry Show just got started, and Curry followed that up with a nice feed to Bogut, and-one, foolishly fouled by Redick from behind.
The Warriors clawed back as Steph then made a three-pointer from the deep right elbow while retreating after the catch from Harrison up top, then Curry juked Paul badly on the left baseline, going behind-the-back twice in a row, causing Paul to fall to the ground…
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…and the Warriors bench to fall on their faces in amazement, as Steph swished the jumper.
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After good scrambling Warriors defense forced misses by Redick on a two-point jumper and Matt Barnes from the deep right corner, Paul was called for holding Curry while starting a play off the ball inside the paint.
The Clippers were in the penalty and Curry brought the Warriors to within two possessions, 49-43, with just 1:32 remaining.
Both teams played cat and mouse on the mutual penalty situation. Paul drew a foul on Curry as Steph tried to defend a pick-and-roll with Griffin beyond the arc, but Klay got Jordan for a reach-in on a switch in the perimter on the other end.
The improbable offense of the two opposing big men then ended the quarter, as Jordan made a nice spin for a bucket inside on Ezeli, but Ezeli made an attack-and-retreat jump hook on the other end.
More good Golden State defense forced a shotclock violation on Redick, double-teamed up top, but the ensuing possession for the Warriors with 5.7 seconds remaining went awry as both Thompson and Curry got open, but clogged in the same area. Klay got the inbound from Harrison and threw it back to Barnes, who back-rimmed the trey at the buzzer.
Griffin led the Clippers with 18 points, while Curry countered with 14 points, 4 assists. Klay had just 3 points heading into halftime as Paul tallied 7 assists and Jordan added 8 rebounds.
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