STAPLES CENTER, LOS ANGELES, CA — This is a continuation of the halftime recap of the Golden State Warriors at the Los Angeles Clippers.
3RD QUARTER: More Made Shots, But Curry Can’t Find Rhythm
Both teams made up for the bricks from the first half with some stellar offense in the third frame, which meant that any turnovers were likely to turn into points on the other end. Klay Thompson converted a dunk after Blake Griffin coughed up the ball early:
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But Griffin answered that with a turnaround, which was answered by a Thompson trey from Stephen Curry via Draymond Green as Griffin bit on Curry’s threat of a three-pointer as the ball shifted on Chris Paul. However, Griffin answered that with a driving left-handed and-one on Green.
Both teams punched and counter-punched, but it was the Clippers’ ability to convert on turnovers that gave them the slim lead heading into the final frame. An inside-out dribble and-one on the right side by Paul against Curry, as well as a pivot-and-launch trey by J.J. Redick over Thompson also helped the Clippers after Curry committed a turnover trying to get the ball to David Lee, with DeAndre Jordan serving up the hurt with a reverse slam alley oop tossed by Paul.
Paul and Curry would trade superstar three-pointers as Paul got a swing back from Redick and faked a pull on the switched Lee, hesitated, then took a real three-pointer and drilled that as Lee and Curry were still trying to figure out whether to lunge out and collapse on the triple-threat master. Warriors head coach called timeout with the Warriors down, 67-61, at the point with 3:52 to play in the third. The Dubs had upped their turnover total from 8 to 12 with plenty to go.
Curry got him back after Crawford missed a wide open right-corner trey as, while bringing up the ball at a slow pace, Lee and Green created a double-drag-screen of sorts, just getting in the way of Curry’s defender. Curry stopped at the left shade of the arc and drilled it. However, Curry was still trying to find his groove. The ball didn’t go through the net cleanly and he had missed the first of a set of two bonus free throws after Paul grabbed him on an up-cut.
But Curry turned it over again trying to get a wrap-around to Lee. This was after Green made a brilliant steal out-jumping a Paul lob from a baseline out-of-bounds play. So once again, the Warriors couldn’t string together good plays on both ends.
Griffin also coughed it up one more time and both Curry and Paul took advantage of inferior defenders, as Steph, guarded by Jordan Farmar to close out the quarter, found a cutting Lee for a dunk (Curry’s 7th assist) and Paul went inside-out dribble attack again, this time on Justin Holiday, with a banker with 0.1 remaining on the game clock.
The Clippers took a 73-70 lead into the fourth.
4TH QUARTER: Going Downhill Quickly
It seemed Kerr was hoping Curry could try and light the torch, as Steph started the fourth quarter after just two brief stints on the bench in the third. But after a missed three, a missed jumper, and a missed layup, Kerr sat him back down. Meanwhile, Andre Iguodala came in for Marreese Speights, which forced the smaller Harrison Barnes onto Griffin, and Crawford took advantage with another three-pointer, ignoring the lunging Lee, this time from the corner as Griffin made the swing pass.
The Warriors got as close as 78-74 with 9:11 to go as Lee got a dunk assisted by Livingston. That’s when more turnovers and athleticism, or lack thereof relatively speaking, did them in.
A Livingston turnover sparked another Clippers run as Matt Barnes drove his body with the right hand banker into a helpless Speights on the ensuing fastbreak, and a missed corner trey by Harrison led to a right-handed layup attack by Crawford on a helplessly retreating Livingston.
Curry missed a three-pointer that rimmed in-and-out and Harrison got the offensive board, but after successfully faking out Jordan, Matt Barnes blocked Harrison from behind and Crawford converted a right-handed running banker on Thompson. Kerr once again tried to stem the tide with a timeout with 7:27 to go and the Clippers running away with it, 86-74.
Things got progressively worse for the Warriors as Green missed a three-pointer, but after Crawford corralled the rebound, Crawford threw the ball away to Harrison Barnes, who immediately got it to Curry from beyond the arc. An in-rhythm Curry would’ve canned the three, but Steph hesitated, drove inside, and threw a bounce pass into the left sideline seats as Harrison ran by.
Jordan made the Warriors feel the hurt once again with a dunk inside the paint from Farmar, capping a 10-0 run that stretched the Clippers lead to 88-74.
After Thompson missed a three from the right side, Curry made another “besides himself” turnover, throwing the ball at Harrison’s feet out of bounds after Paul converted a fading, left-to-right jumper.
Paul made another jumper after another Warriors miss, this time a jumper by Green late in the shotclock, and Speights missed a jumper, and Curry missed a three. Crawford splashed a three in front of the shorter lunging Curry that slammed the coffin door on the Dubs, making it 97-77 with 2:55 to play.
Kerr called timeout, emptied the bench, and, for the second time in three nights, waved the white flag at Staples.
The Clippers annihilated the Warriors, 100-86, as Crawford notched 24 points even on a not-so-eye-popping 8-for-18. Paul added 22 points on 7-for-18. Griffin had a quiet 18 points, but tallied 15 rebounds while Jordan added 14-and-12.
Six Warriors scored in double-figures, but only led by Thompson with 15, Curry with 14, although Steph also added 9 rebounds and 7 assists, with 5 turnovers in an out-of-rhythm performance. Klay was just 6-for-18 field, 2-for-10 downtown. Curry was 1-for-5 downtown. Harrison had a 12-and-13 night and Green 10-and-10, but those were dwarfed by Griffin and Jordan’s totals.
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