Seven lost balls from Golden State in the first quarter gave control of the match to the duo James Harden (12 points on 4/16 shooting, 16 assists) – Norman Powell (23 points) and the Clippers (25-13). It takes the exit of Stephen Curry (26 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) and the entry into play of Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga (12 points) and Moses Moody to see the Warriors regain color (27-24).
Their burst, however, was short-lived. Added to their festival of lost balls and clumsiness from afar was a waste of free throws against the “Wall” of the Intuit Dome. Like a thunderous entry from Nicolas Batum who makes 3/4 from 3-points, Ty Lue’s men continue to play their game. They pass a 13-3 at Golden State to take a fifteen point lead ( 52-37). Only the awakening of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green (9 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 lost balls) allowed the Dubs to limit the damage (56-45).
Returning from the locker room, Stephen Curry made 3/3 three-pointers in less than four minutes to reignite the suspense (63-60). Kris Dunn gives the Clippers some fresh air but two consecutive winning shots from Andrew Wiggins (22 points) and Jonathan Kuminga put the two teams back to back (72-72).
The duo Kevin Porter Jr – Amir Coffey (15 points) then scores 13 of the Clippers’ next 18 points to take control of operations (85-77). Steve Kerr then restarts Stephen Curry with less than nine minutes to play and the “Chief” keeps Golden State in ambush (94-90). Unfortunately for Golden State, three new lost balls from the Green/Curry duo lead to two winning shots from Norman Powell which put Los Angeles at +10 (102-92)!
While the match seems to be over, the Warriors pass a 7-0 to the Clippers to return to -3 with 35 seconds to play (102-99). On the next action, Gary Payton II stole the ball from Norman Powell’s hands, giving his team a chance to equalize. Stephen Curry misses a first attempt but an offensive rebound gives a new opportunity, again missed by GPII. For the second time this season, the Clippers beat Golden State!
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– A festival of lost balloons. Thirteen lost balls for Golden State in the first half, eleven for the Clippers. The two teams accumulated 36 lost balls in 48 minutes, scoring 31 and 30 points respectively on opposing blunders! In this area, it was Draymond Green who was particularly “prolific” with 6 ball losses while the Harden – Powell duo accumulated 7.
– The Warriors getting worse and worse at the free throw line. Despite their first place in the Western Conference after twelve games, the Warriors arrived at the Intuit Dome ranked last in the league in free throws, with only 71.2% success. Last night, they scored 9/19 (47%), including 2/9 for the trio Kuminga – Podziemski – Jackson-Davis, in a match that they lost by three points…
– Ivica Zubac and Amir Coffey decisive. With an awkward James Harden, the other Clippers responded, in particular Ivica Zubac and Amir Coffey. The pivot controlled the rebound with 17 catches against the Warriors who had to play “small” in the absence of Kevon Looney. Amir Coffey scored 10 of his 15 points in the last thirteen minutes of the game to keep Golden State at bay.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
