The Clippers started the second half of their season with an exclamation point, storming past the Golden State Warriors, 130-104. It wasn’t even a flawless performance. How so? Read on for the full Clippers vs Warriors game recap:
Clippers Rout Warriors
Can a rout be ho-hum?
In a game that might’ve convinced you of the existence of a second preseason, the Clippers used active defense and bursts of offense to overwhelm the Golden State Warriors.
For long stretches, both teams appeared to remain half-mired in their All-Star slumber. Fortunately for us, it was the good guys who were first to the caffeine.
That jolt powered a defensive effort that was fast-paced and focused. The key numbers were 14 and one, as in the points and three-pointers credited to Stephen Curry. With Golden State more reliant upon its incandescent star than ever, the Clippers were conspicuously intent upon snuffing him out. They were successful, sticking with him around screens and showing him long, outstretched arms all around the floor. Curry was demonstrably, and uncharacteristically, frustrated with his team’s performance.
Tyronn Lue’s charges also effectively restrained Golden State’s other consistent source of offense, Draymond Green. While the excitable star made two three-pointers, he was harried into three turnovers with just three assists as ballast. As a team, the Warriors turned it over 16 times, with the Clippers lending their hand with 10 steals. The shooting-poor Warriors helped by missing some OK looks, but their 25% mark from deep wasn’t solely the result of hard luck.
Offensively, the Clippers offered more of a mixed bag, which is a weird way to describe a 130-point game. Such is NBA life in 2021. After jumping out to a quick lead, the Clippers bogged down, letting their opponent off the mat. Their performance was marked both by runs of dominance and bouts of carelessness. An, um, uneven officiating performance seemed to weigh on the Clippers at times, as surely did Patrick Beverley’s return to the bench with injury in the first half.
There was more good than bad though, as the Clippers broke the 100-point threshold with time to spare in the third quarter. After Serge Ibaka scored the Clippers’ first seven points of the game on his way to a tidy 16-point-14-rebound double-double, Kawhi Leonard took over. He tallied the Clippers’ final 14 points of the first frame — no, seriously — before finishing with a game-high 28. Kawhi converted five of his seven three-point tries, including one from Pico Blvd.
Paul George, as you might expect, also starred. His 17-point total on five-for-14 shooting doesn’t shine particularly brightly, but it was his work leading the bench unit that built a heady second-quarter lead and then a towering chasm in the 45-point third quarter. See his game-high plus-32 rating and know his impact. He chipped in with five assists and five hard-earned free-throw attempts.
The Clippers’ reserves profited in their matchup against underpowered and undersized counterparts. Ivica Zubac feasted against a Golden State rotation that didn’t feature James Wiseman until garbage time. Wiseman was replaced in the starting lineup by Kevon Looney after missing practice this week because he forgot to take his required COVID-19 test. Checked by 6’6″ pair Eric Paschall and Juan Toscano-Anderson, Zubac rang up nine easy points, five of which came at the charity stripe. Lou Williams continued to be Lou Williams. Another night, another 14 points.
For the Warriors, embattled wings Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins each scored 15 points. Neither could splash more than one three-pointer, and their inability to effectively space the floor handcuffed their star players. Wiseman scored 14 in 12 minutes, all of which came in a meaningless fourth quarter.
For the Clippers, Reggie Jackson replaced Beverley with the starters for the second half. Ignore his unsightly field goal mark (1-7); he was a blur in transition. Terance Mann promoted back into the final bench spot and recorded a game-high three blocks in just 17 minutes, including an emphatic stuff of Draymond.
This game may have started half-asleep, but after this lopsided home victory, we’re wide awake now. The second half of the season is off to a promising start. Let’s see what the Clippers can do with a complete performance.
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