of golden state warriors After a big 124-107 win on the home floor los angeles clippersafter rest some starters In the final game of the East Coast trip, the Warriors went home and looked like favorites for the championship expected to come in the season. entered play just 0.5 games behind. Without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Both teams kept things tight in the first quarter.in his first playing time since Explosion against RocketsKlay Thompson picked up where he left off with a hot shooting start and scored 15 points in the first quarter. trailed by -29.
Steve Kerr added another wrinkle to the Warriors’ second unit on Wednesday, throwing Draymond Green into the mix alongside Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, Anthony Lamb and Donte DiVincenzo. It’s been terrible all season on both ends. Kerr hoped that the combination of Green’s elite defensive abilities, along with his prowess at organizing the offense, would help unlock a second unit.
It worked as intended against the Clippers.
The Warriors extended their lead with the Splash Brothers on the bench to start the second quarter. Wiggins scored 13 points in the period while the Clippers failed to build an offensive rhythm. When Curry got back on the floor, Golden State knocked the door off its hinges and went into halftime with a 66-47 lead.
The Clippers briefly reduced their lead to single digits in the third quarter, but the Warriors continued their 11-4 run to lead 98-82 heading into the fourth. Games seemed to be in the bag, but Dubs’ new second unit has one more chance to prove its worth.
In fact, Green has shown exactly why he’s the perfect antidote to troop struggle.
A pair of empty possessions to start the quarter allowed the Clippers to enter transition. But Green played great defense with a pair of shots at the rim. Green’s ability to force mistakes turned him on a 4-0 run against the normally soft Dub defense into a 0-0 exchange. DiVincenzo then knocked in a deep three, Green turned another stop into an easy bucket in transition, and just like that, the Warriors were on track with 21 points ahead of him.
Wiggins put the cherry on top of his overall excellent performance, hitting Duggar Three midway through the quarter twice, with both coaches pulling the starters. Scored a game (and season) best 31 points. He also had 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and +28 plus/minus blocks.
Thompson cooled off after a heat wave in the first quarter, but still scored 18 on 10-for-5 shooting. Curry had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists in just one turnover. Green added 9 points, 7 boards, 12 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
The Warriors haven’t had double-digit scorers off the bench. Jordan Poole also struggled hard off the field, finishing 15-3. But DiVincenzo probably had the best performance of the entire season.
None of the Clippers scored 20 points, but six players finished in double digits. Marcus Morris Sr. led with 19, with Norman Powell and Terrence Mann tied for second on the team with 17.
Defensively, the Warriors remain more prone to fouls than Kerr would like. Offensive firepower has covered those issues in recent wins, but Golden State has just 11 in a draw against the Clippers, even though he committed 23 fouls. .
The Warriors will take a day off before attempting to return to .500 on Friday. utah jazz 7:00 p.m. (Pacific).
