The Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers 106-98 Sunday afternoon at home in Oracle Arena. Draymond Green led the way for Golden State with 23 points and six assists, while Klay Thompson added 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting and Shaun Livingston had 21 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Austin Rivers led L.A. in scoring with 22 points off the bench.
This was Golden State's opportunity to flex their muscles. They had won five straight games. They have the best record in the NBA as well as the best home record. Their entire team is healthy. Now compare that to the Clippers. They were missing Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford in this game. Golden State just overpowered L.A. with the talent they had on the floor. They were so good they were able to control the game even with a very quiet day from Stephen Curry. He had only 12 points and four assists, but that was because the Clippers were focusing on him defensively, extending their big men out onto him on pick-and-rolls and making him give up the ball. And in the first half, it seemed to work. Curry had a few uncharacteristic turnovers and couldn't get open looks. Look for teams to try this strategy against the Warriors come playoff time.
Even though Curry had a subpar day by his lofty standards, he still managed to steal the show. Early in the third quarter he made this move (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/stephen-curry-makes-a-ridiculous-shot--coach-steve-kerr-disapproves-and-then-approves-223125191.html) to avoid four Clippers and elicit quite the reaction out of coach Steve Kerr. Curry combines possibly the best handle in the league with unquestionably the best shot in the league, just one of the things about the Warriors that scare the crap out of every contender in the West.
The game started out looking like a high-scorer, and L.A. impressed early. They made eight of their first ten field goal attempts, forced Curry to give up the ball, and forced the Warriors into sloppy turnovers. However, once the lacking Clippers bench went in against the strong Warriors bench, Golden State started to turn the tide. The first quarter finished with Golden State leading 29-28, even though LAC had outplayed them for most of the quarter.
Golden State started to take control in the second quarter. Thompson and Green kept knocking down shots. Livingston continued a strong first quarter performance. And the only Clipper who looked like he could create anything against the impressive GS defense was -surprisingly- Austin Rivers. After making their first three, L.A. missed their next 11 from behind the arc. Even though Curry didn't get his first bucket until the 5:17 point in the quarter, the Warriors clearly outplayed L.A. in the second, especially after Golden State went to a small line-up at the 4:40 mark and went on a 13-2 run. Golden State finished the quarter leading 57-50. That was the difference between the two teams on the day: when the Warriors played well it showed on the scoreboard. The same could not be said for the Clippers.
The third quarter was when Golden state really started to pull away. They came out with an itensity that the Clippers just lacked. Chris Paul was never comfortable on the day and looked very frustrated after a few turnovers. I knew the Warriors were going to win after Curry hit that shot. It was just such a momentum boost that set off the always rowdy Oracle Arena, and I didn't see a depleted L.A. team coming back from it. Even though the Clippers did make a little run to cut it to single digits in the fourth (the Warriors had led by as much as 22 in the game), the outcome was never in doubt.
There's no reason to panic if you're a Clipper fan. In fat, I'd be optimistic. L.A. did show at times that they could compete with the Warriors without Griffin or Crawford. And they unearthed a defense that could definitely give Curry problems. If these teams meet again in the playoffs, when the Clips have Griffin and Crawford at full strength, look for a great series.
This was Golden State's opportunity to flex their muscles. They had won five straight games. They have the best record in the NBA as well as the best home record. Their entire team is healthy. Now compare that to the Clippers. They were missing Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford in this game. Golden State just overpowered L.A. with the talent they had on the floor. They were so good they were able to control the game even with a very quiet day from Stephen Curry. He had only 12 points and four assists, but that was because the Clippers were focusing on him defensively, extending their big men out onto him on pick-and-rolls and making him give up the ball. And in the first half, it seemed to work. Curry had a few uncharacteristic turnovers and couldn't get open looks. Look for teams to try this strategy against the Warriors come playoff time.
Even though Curry had a subpar day by his lofty standards, he still managed to steal the show. Early in the third quarter he made this move (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/stephen-curry-makes-a-ridiculous-shot--coach-steve-kerr-disapproves-and-then-approves-223125191.html) to avoid four Clippers and elicit quite the reaction out of coach Steve Kerr. Curry combines possibly the best handle in the league with unquestionably the best shot in the league, just one of the things about the Warriors that scare the crap out of every contender in the West.
The game started out looking like a high-scorer, and L.A. impressed early. They made eight of their first ten field goal attempts, forced Curry to give up the ball, and forced the Warriors into sloppy turnovers. However, once the lacking Clippers bench went in against the strong Warriors bench, Golden State started to turn the tide. The first quarter finished with Golden State leading 29-28, even though LAC had outplayed them for most of the quarter.
Golden State started to take control in the second quarter. Thompson and Green kept knocking down shots. Livingston continued a strong first quarter performance. And the only Clipper who looked like he could create anything against the impressive GS defense was -surprisingly- Austin Rivers. After making their first three, L.A. missed their next 11 from behind the arc. Even though Curry didn't get his first bucket until the 5:17 point in the quarter, the Warriors clearly outplayed L.A. in the second, especially after Golden State went to a small line-up at the 4:40 mark and went on a 13-2 run. Golden State finished the quarter leading 57-50. That was the difference between the two teams on the day: when the Warriors played well it showed on the scoreboard. The same could not be said for the Clippers.
The third quarter was when Golden state really started to pull away. They came out with an itensity that the Clippers just lacked. Chris Paul was never comfortable on the day and looked very frustrated after a few turnovers. I knew the Warriors were going to win after Curry hit that shot. It was just such a momentum boost that set off the always rowdy Oracle Arena, and I didn't see a depleted L.A. team coming back from it. Even though the Clippers did make a little run to cut it to single digits in the fourth (the Warriors had led by as much as 22 in the game), the outcome was never in doubt.
There's no reason to panic if you're a Clipper fan. In fat, I'd be optimistic. L.A. did show at times that they could compete with the Warriors without Griffin or Crawford. And they unearthed a defense that could definitely give Curry problems. If these teams meet again in the playoffs, when the Clips have Griffin and Crawford at full strength, look for a great series.
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