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 The Golden State Warriors can thank their most valuable player --
both this year and last -- for that.
Point guard Stephen Curry hit his seventh 3-pointer with 1:08
remaining to produce the 17th and final lead change of the night,
and the Warriors outlasted the Los Angeles Clippers 112-108
Wednesday night in a battle of the West's last two unbeaten teams.
"Nothing's going to come easy this year," said Curry, the game's
leading scorer with 31 points. "We've been through this before.
There were some emotions on the bench. That's what we needed -- a
little fire. You can tell this meant something to us."
Curry, the reigning NBA Player of the Week, scored 13 consecutive
Warriors points late in the game, including his straightaway
3-pointer that turned a one-point Golden State deficit into a
108-106 lead.
Curry and backcourt mate Klay Thompson added two last-minute free
throws apiece as the Warriors (5-0) recorded their eighth
consecutive home win over their Southern California rivals. Golden
State had won its first four games by a record total of 100 points.
"The guys kept their poise out there," Warriors interim coach Luke
Walton said. "They're obviously battle-tested."
A majority of Curry's points came on 7-for-11 accuracy from 3-point
range.
"You don't get better than that," Walton said of Curry, who overcame
early foul trouble and 4-for-12 shooting in the first three periods.
"When we really needed him the most, he stepped up for us and made
huge plays. He's a winner. He showed why he's the MVP of the league
right now."
Small forward Harrison Barnes added 17 points and Thompson 16 for
the Warriors, who placed all five starters in double figures.
Point guard Chris Paul had 24 points and nine assists for the
Clippers (4-1), and power forward Blake Griffin contributed 23
points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn't enough.
"It would have been encouraging if we won," said Clippers shooting
guard J.J. Redick, who buried three 3-pointers on a 13-point night.
"We are not the 'Bad News Bears.' We are a team that has
championship aspirations, and for us to do that, we have to win."
Playing just their second road game of the season, the Clippers
trailed by as many as 17 in the first half before rallying into a
97-87 lead on a follow shot by super-sub guard Jamal Crawford with
7:56 to play.
Barnes then caught fire for the Warriors, dropping in four
consecutive hoops, including back-to-back threes, in a personal 10-1
run that closed the gap to 98-97.
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Curry's sixth 3-pointer helped the Warriors go up by as much as
103-99, but Griffin and Paul countered with hoops that produced a
103-all tie with 3:28 left.
The Clippers took a brief 106-105 lead on a free throw by center
DeAndre Jordan (11 points, 13 rebounds) with 1:17 to go. However,
Curry's seventh 3-pointer with 1:08 remaining put Golden State ahead
for good.
"That's what makes it a rivalry," Walton said of the tightness of
the game, which featured 10 ties to go along with the 17 lead
changes. "That was great basketball tonight."
The Warriors were coming off a 50-point win over the Memphis
Grizzlies.
"They're just different," Walton said of the two victories. "Beating
a team like Memphis by 50 is pretty gratifying. The energy of a
close game like this against our rivals is obviously fun because the
building is electric.
"Maybe it's not a 50-point game, but I'll take them either way."
A 15-2 Warriors flurry in the second quarter opened a 46-29 lead.
The Clippers chipped away for the next 14 minutes, though, first
closing within 63-56 by halftime, then grabbing their first lead
since the first quarter at 79-77 on a jumper by Crawford with 1:57
left in the third.
"It was a heck of a basketball game," Clippers coach Doc Rivers
said. "I'll take this game all day."
NOTES: Clippers C DeAndre Jordan (4,711) grabbed 13 rebounds to take
over the all-time franchise lead from PF Elton Brand (4,710). ...
Clippers PG Chris Paul sustained a groin injury late in the game. "I
don't think it's severe," coach Doc Rivers said. ... Warriors C
Andrew Bogut (concussion) missed his fourth consecutive game. He has
yet to be cleared even to practice with the team. ... Warriors PG
Stephen Curry equaled SF Dennis Scott's 78-game streak with at least
one 3-pointer, the fourth-longest run in NBA history.
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