Rowan Kavner
Score: GSW 124 – LAC 117
Synopsis: Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick both mentioned the Warriors being “clutter-free” in the off days leading into the matchup Thursday against undefeated Golden State.
Next Game: 11/20
It’s a place the Clippers are trying to get to, and it’s a phrase Doc Rivers said he’s used for years. It’s when a team is the best it can possibly be because it’s prepared, the timing’s right, everyone’s on the same page, and everyone’s playing freely and buying in.
It takes a while to get that way, and it’s why even a 23-point advantage isn’t safe against the clutter-free reigning champion Warriors (13-0), who once again overcame a double-digit deficit against the Clippers (6-5) to remain undefeated in one of the most entertaining, intense regular season games of the year.
Chris Paul (groin) provided everything he could’ve possibly been asked for, going from doubtful to starting to scoring a season-high 35 points while adding eight assists. Blake Griffin added 27 points, six rebounds and five assists.
But it takes 48 minutes of perfection to beat the Warriors, and even the most minor of slippages can flip the scoreboard. The Clippers led, 41-25, at the end of the first quarter, with Paul and Griffin combining for 30 points, six assists and five rebounds on 13-of-17 shooting.
The Clippers and their backups did their job by keeping that lead at double digits throughout the first half and the beginning of the third quarter. But all it takes is a minute for the Warriors to catch fire. Stephen Curry, who finished with 40 points, cut the Clippers’ lead to single digits late in the third quarter. Then a Draymond Green corner 3-pointer at the buzzer ended the third.
Just like that, it was a six-point game.
A barrage of 3-pointers on both sides kept the intensity at a peak throughout the fourth quarter, with the Clippers hitting 13 3-pointers and the Warriors hitting 17 from long range. The Warriors had a chance to take the lead early in the fourth but missed on a jumper attempt, and the Clippers answered with a 9-1 run midway through the fourth to take a nine-point lead.
Against the Warriors, it still wasn’t enough.
Six of the Warriors’ next seven baskets were 3-point makes, including three from Curry, who teamed with Andre Iguodala to take the Clippers’ win away from their grasps and subdue a Staples Center crowd which seemed sure it’d be the first to watch its team topple the reigning champs.
