LOS ANGELES – It took all of three possessions for the Warriors to remind everyone who they are and why they keep beating the Clippers.
The first three times the Clippers got the ball Thursday, Golden State simply took it – a pretty apt metaphor for what’s happened with these two teams over the past three seasons or so.
Even without their starting power forward and their starting center, the Warriors took another game from the Clippers, beating them, 133-120, at Staples Center.
It’s the ninth straight time Golden State has beaten the Clippers.
The problems started right after the opening tip, with Steph Curry stealing the ball twice, leading to a pair of easy dunks. Rookie Patrick McCaw, who the Clippers passed on in the second round of this year’s draft, got a steal on the Clippers’ third possession, setting up Kevin Durant for two free throws.
Down 6-0 before they even attempted a shot, the Clippers turned the ball over again. Luckily, the ball ended up in JaVale McGee’s hands, and he promptly handed it back.
Ten of the Clippers’ 15 turnovers came in the first half.
“I thought our turnovers were deflating,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “They performed at a much higher level than us. It wasn’t even close. I was disappointed in the way we played and disappointed in our preparation.”
And it wasn’t so much that Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia were out with injuries; it was that Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Curry weren’t.
Curry (29 points, 11 assists), Durant (26 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds) and Thompson (21 points) commanded so much of the Clippers’ attention – and rightfully so – the other two men on the court almost didn’t matter.
With eyes on the Warriors’ All-Stars, McGee was free for 11 easy points, McCaw stroked in a pair of early 3-pointers and James Michael McAdoo had 10 points and nine rebounds – most of which were uncontested.
“If you play with Curry, KD and Klay, you’re probably going to get good shots,” Rivers said. “They rely on anyone who is open and they give the ball to them.”
The Warriors feasted on the Clippers’ wandering focus, scoring 27 points off offensive rebounds, while the much bigger Clippers only had 15 second-chance points.
And with the Warriors’ role players established, the stars began to operate with more freedom. Curry, a longtime thorn in the Clippers’ side, launched and drained a high-arcing 3 right in front of the Clippers bench, giving them a celebratory shimmy before jogging back down the court.
With Green sitting, Griffin went to work, scoring 31 points, including a vintage slam over former UCLA Bruin Kevon Looney.
“I loved how he (Blake) played. I loved his pace and how he attacked the basket,” Rivers said.
And after being down 21 early in the fourth, Jamal Crawford (21 points) and Austin Rivers (18 points) got the Clippers to within seven. But, Durant and Thompson hit back-to-back 3-pointers, assuring another Warriors win.
More to come on this story.
Contact the writer: dwoike@scng.com
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