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 While they were doing so, they got a chance to put into play a
strategy that could help prolong their postseason run once it
begins.
The league leaders in blowout wins survived a close one on their
playoff-clinching night, outlasting the Los Angeles Lakers 108-105
thanks in large part to a successful fouling ploy in the final
seconds.
"I thought it was important to finish the game like we did,"
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after his team earned just its fifth
win by fewer than five points this season. "Having to finish the
game out with our brains and not just our legs."
Actually, the postseason-assuring moment for the club with the
league's best record (53-13) occurred midway through the second
quarter when the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder two
time zones away.
The Warriors didn't celebrate the announcement of the Dallas win
when it occurred. And they didn't hoot and holler afterward, either.
"That's a great moment. You never take it for granted," Warriors
power forward Draymond Green said. "But we have bigger goals. Why
celebrate now?"
Kerr watched the San Francisco Giants have four champagne-splashed
celebrations during their run to the World Series championship last
season. He was happy to see no corks popping following Stage 1 of
the Warriors' success.
"It's a great sign that we're taking it in stride," he said of the
Warriors' third consecutive trip to the playoffs. "It made sense to
celebrate (two) years ago. That was the first time in a long time.
But now we expect to be in."
While the formal clinching was announced to the sellout crowd, the
Warriors didn't have time to rejoice, as they were caught up in a
tense duel with their Southern California rival, which brought the
Western Conference's second-worst record to town.
The Lakers led five minutes into the third quarter and forged a
95-all tie before Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson bombed in a
3-pointer with 4:32 remaining in the game to give Golden State the
lead for good.
The Lakers hung close, however, and three times in the final 10.5
seconds had the ball, down three points, with a chance to tie.
The Warriors never gave them the opportunity, though. Kerr called
for intentional fouls on the first two possessions, and Green
deflected a ball off Lakers forward Wesley Johnson's leg on Los
Angeles' final desperation attempt.
"We've been winning by five or six, but never that scenario we had
tonight," Kerr said of giving up free throws instead of 3-pointers.
"We obviously chose to foul and did it right."
The Warriors also made all four of their free throws during that
stretch -- all by point guard Stephen Curry -- to put the Lakers in
a continual three-point hole.
"There are no moral victories," Lakers coach Byron Scott said.
"We've been playing a lot of teams like this lately. Guys are doing
a great job of competing. But at the end of the day, you either win
or you lose. We still want to win."
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Thompson, who turned his right ankle in the third quarter and
briefly went to the locker room to have it re-taped, scored 26
points for the Warriors, who finished off a 3-1 season-series win
over the Lakers. He sank three 3-pointers, giving him 199 for his
career.
The win was the Warriors' 30th in 32 home games this season. It was
their 16th straight at Oracle Arena against Western Conference
competition and pushed them 40 games over .500 for the first time in
franchise history.
Despite a 5-for-14 shooting night in his 400th career game, Curry
added 19 points and a game-high nine assists for the Warriors, who
were playing their second of six straight at home.
Green chipped in with 16 points and team highs in rebounds with
eight and steals with five.
The Lakers outrebounded their sixth consecutive opponent, finishing
with a 45-37 advantage on the boards. However, they still lost their
third in a row and eighth in nine.
Guards Wayne Ellington and Jordan Clarkson, both of whom hit a pair
of free throws in the final 6.3 seconds, had 17 points apiece to
lead Los Angeles (17-49). Johnson finished with 16 points, and power
forward Jordan Hill had 15 to go with a game-high 12 rebounds.
NOTES: Warriors SG Klay Thompson was limping badly afterward on the
right ankle he injured in the game and must be considered
questionable for Wednesday's showdown with the Atlanta Hawks. ...
The Warriors won the season series from the Lakers for the second
year in a row. Before last season, Golden State hadn't won a season
series from Los Angeles in 19 years. ... The referees failed to
notice that the Lakers committed a fifth team foul late in the third
quarter, instead giving the Warriors the ball out of bounds. The
error was corrected between periods, and Warriors PG Stephen Curry
was sent to the free-throw line for two shots, both of which he
made. ... The Lakers expect to get the results of the CT scan on SF
Nick Young's left knee Tuesday. Young remains out indefinitely
pending the update. ... Lakers coach Byron Scott announced rookie PF
Julius Randle, out for the season with a broken leg, will make the
team's next trip -- March 24-30 -- in order to get a better feel for
the team.
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