Golden State Warriors lost 134-124 to the rebuilt LA Clippers on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena, dropping the defending champs to.500 heading into the All-Star break.
Here are three key reactions from the fatigued, short-handed Warriors’ final game before a much-needed respite in advance of the season’s stretch run.
Bench spearheads Golden State’s awesome second quarter
The Warriors trailed by eight after the first quarter, and it was hardly surprising when the Clippers quickly went up double-digits early in the second. Golden State wasn’t just playing on the second leg of a back-to-back without Steph Curry, but was also missing Andrew Wiggins. It wouldn’t have been shocking if the Dubs laid down after falling behind big early to a more talented, rested team—especially with the All-Star break dawning.
But Golden State pushed back hard before halftime instead, its comeback spearheaded by Ty Jerome, Jonathan Kuminga and Donte DiVincenzo.
Jerome’s 11 first half points came in a seven-minute burst that was over midway through the second quarter, real damage done to the Clippers’ lead with a deep three and a handful of drives that netted two buckets and four free throws.
Kuminga was as composed offensively as he’s been all season, showing off his burgeoning shooting skill and scoring nuance. This corner three in semi-transition is as smooth as his jumper’s ever looked, a factor both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard likely had in mind when jumping at Kuminga’s shot fake on the drive a couple possessions later.
DiVincenzo was everywhere on both sides of the ball, slipping behind the defense with a perfectly timed 45-cut for a layup from Jordan Poole, hitting a quick catch-and-shoot wing three in semi-transition and flying in from the weak-side for rebounds.
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Like Kuminga, DiVincenzo had his moments checking George and Leonard, too. When was the last time you’ve seen Kawhi get his dribble ripped like this?
The Warriors’ spirit, grit and connectedness hit their peaks in the second quarter, resulting in some of the best all-around basketball they’ve played throughout 2022-23—even considering the absences of Curry and Wiggins.
They turned good shots into great ones, consistently keeping the ball moving and making the extra pass. They were flying all over the floor with both speed and precision defensively, running shooters off the arc, trapping the box to stymie drives and helping the helper behind the play, occasionally two or three times on the same possession.
It didn’t last. The Clippers eventually met the challenge, but not before Golden State turned a 10-point deficit into a 65-61 halftime advantage.
Every win is key in a loaded Western Conference playoff race, and the Warriors obviously fell short in that regard. Still, the way they played for long stretches against a fellow contender—one looking dangerous as ever in wake of the trade deadline, by the way—registers as legitimately encouraging for the Dubs regardless.
Clippers’ talent, depth overwhelms short-handed Warriors
This game was tied at 89-89 with 4:35 remaining in the third quarter, as competitive and well-played as a potential Warriors-Clippers matchup in April or May. But LA closed on a 16-4 run to enter the final stanza up 105-93, a lead that quickly ballooned to 17 points.
Sudden as the Clippers’ game-changing run seemed in the moment, getting to the rim at will and suffocating the depleted Dubs defensively, it also wasn’t hard to see coming. Why? Not just because the Warriors were bound to eventually run out of gas, but because Leonard emerged from the halftime locker room with his personal pedal to the floor.
The two-time Finals MVP scored 11 of the Clippers’ first 15 points in the third quarter, splashing three line-drive triples and powering his way to the rim for a score. Leonard returned the favor to DiVincenzo, too, clawing the ball from his grasp for a steal moments after turning the corner past the top of Golden State’s zone for a dunk—two-way dominance that reminds of his healthy ceiling when it matters most.
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George and his teammates followed Leonard’s lead from there, responding to Golden State’s awesome quarter with an even better one of their own. The Clippers won the third quarter 44-28, overwhelming the Warriors with length, shot-making, dribble penetration and—above all else—quality, experienced depth.
Dubs fall apart without Draymond Green and Kevon Looney
It’s no accident LA’s initial third-quarter spurt came during a two-minute, 21-second stint with both Draymond and Kevon Looney getting a rest.
A lineup of Jerome, DiVincenzo, Kuminga, Lamb and JaMychal Green just doesn’t have enough teeth at the point of attack or on the back line to consistently string together stops against the new-look Clippers’ reserve units, and that quintet is just as helpless facing playoff-worthy competition on the other side of the ball.
Keep an eye on how lineups without both of the Dubs’ starting bigs fare over the season’s remainder.
Kerr’s dalliance starting small evolved from the early-season reality that his team absolutely fell apart defensively when Draymond or Looney were off the floor simultaneously. Their separate offensive impacts—Green’s playmaking and pace-pushing, Looney’s rebounding and screen-setting—loom larger for the Warriors absent Curry’s individual brilliance, too.
Golden State’s net rating with Draymond and Looney on the bench this season is an ugly -9.1, per Cleaning the Glass. After getting blitzed 9-0 by the Clippers in just over two minutes of play during the third quarter, there’s still no reason to believe the Warriors will be any better in those circumstances going forward.
Source: https://clutchpoints.com
