Rowan Kavner
OAKLAND – Doc Rivers knows it’s going to be a work in progress as the Clippers adjust to nine new players and, in particular, a typical backup unit featuring three new faces.
Against the reigning champion Warriors, anything other than a perfect, complete game for a visiting team means defeat. Despite fighting back from a 17-point deficit to take a 10-point fourth quarter lead, that was the eventual result in after a back-and-forth fourth quarter in a 112-108 loss.
Chris Paul finished with 24 points and nine assists. Blake Griffin had another double-double, finishing with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. DeAndre Jordan added 11 points and 13 rebounds, becoming the Clippers’ all-time leading rebounder in the process.
The Clippers went on an 11-0 run in the third quarter to take their first lead since the opening quarter, overcoming the 17-point deficit, which also happened to be the margin of defeat against the Warriors in the opening meeting last year, when Doc Rivers lit into his team about a lack of effort.
There was no throwing in the towel Wednesday night against a Warriors squad which entered the night winning a franchise record 20 straight regular season games at Oracle Arena and set an NBA record beating opponents by a combined 100 points through their first four games of the season.
Next Game: 11/07
In the first five minutes of the game, 10 lead changes took place, which was just a prequel for how the game would end after both teams took double-digit leads at different points throughout the night.
The Clippers could’ve easily packed it in playing in front of an always raucous Golden State crowd after going down, 46-29, following a Stephen Curry 3-pointer and a foul midway through the second quarter.
Rivers said before the game he’s not sure the league has seen anything like what Curry has done early this year, and he’s not sure the league has ever had a player with the combination of ball-handling and shooting that Curry provides. Pete Maravich was the only name that came to mind.
Still, even with Curry looking largely like himself in a 31-point game, the starters fired back, getting the deficit down to single digits before halftime. At half, the Clippers trailed by seven and the starters were all plus-six or better, while the backups who played were all minus-12 or worse.
“We have nine new guys, I didn’t expect to come out as this well-oiled machine,” Rivers said before the game. “It’s going to take time.” In the meantime, some games have been hit-or-miss for the backup unit. In the case of Wednesday night, it was half-to-half.
The starters were playing their part, with J.J. Redick helping the Clippers back within striking distance in the third quarter, before a medley of starters and backups helped the Clippers tie the game and eventually take a one-point lead entering the fourth. That gave the Warriors their first deficit after three quarters all year.
Rivers then sent out his backups to start the fourth. They not only kept the game close, but turned a two-point lead into a 10-point fourth quarter lead before the Warriors came storming back.
That double-digit lead was erased in large part by Harrison Barnes, who scored eight straight points, and a 98-89 lead turned into a 103-99 deficit after another Curry 3-pointer. But answers from J.J. Redick and Chris Paul swung the momentum again in a game that had 17 lead changes.
In the end, though, there was too much from Curry and the Warriors, who outlasted the Clippers down the stretch after a few faulty possessions.
