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 Curry scored 27 points and backcourt mate Klay Thompson added 25,
guiding the Golden State Warriors to a 110-106 victory over the Los
Angeles Clippers on at Staples Center.
Curry sparked a rally in the second quarter, when the Warriors were
down by 17, by delivering a knee-buckling, shake-and-bake move on
Chris Paul that sent the Clippers point guard sprawling to the court
before Curry converted a baseline jumper over him.
"That play might have kicked us into gear," said Curry, who made
eight of 15 shots from the floor, including four of six from 3-point
range.
Thompson was even giddier about the play than Curry.
"Oh, man, it was crazy," Thompson said with a grin. "Man, his
handles are crazy. To make someone like Chris Paul fall, it was
pretty impressive. Some of the best handles I've ever seen."
Even Paul had to tip his hat.
"That man is tough," Paul said of Curry. "Obviously, he has a great
handle. You saw that tonight."
Forward David Lee had 17 points for the Warriors, who won their 10th
in a row.
Griffin had 12 rebounds and five assists to go along with his
game-high point total for the Clippers, whose seven-game winning
streak ended. Paul finished with 27 points and nine assists.
"I don't really count that as anything dynamic," Griffin said of his
play. "When you walk away with a loss, it does not matter. It
doesn't mean a lot. There are plenty of things I could have done to
help us play better. The bottom line is that we need to be a better
team."
Two free throws by Paul knotted the score at 100 with 3:11 left, but
the Clippers' offense stalled down the stretch.
Lee hit one of two foul shots, and two more by Thompson gave Golden
State a three-point advantage with 2:20 remaining. Clippers center
DeAndre Jordan, who finished with five points and 15 rebounds, made
two free throws with 1:26 remaining to cut the Warriors' lead to
one.
Golden State guard Andre Iguodala canned three free throws after
being fouled on a 3-point shot by Clippers forward Matt Barnes with
1:10 left for a 106-102 lead.
Paul's layup with 12.9 seconds left cut the margin to two, but his
costly backcourt turnover near midcourt with 9.3 seconds remaining
and the Clippers trailing by four all but clinched the win for the
Warriors. Curry and Thompson sealed the outcome by hitting two foul
shots each in the final seconds.
The Warriors, who own the best record in the NBA, 61-13, took three
of four from their in-state rival this season.
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"They came out hard because obviously this was a big game for them,"
Curry said. "They had won seven in a row and just got back off of a
road trip. With the history between us, they wanted to get a big win
at home."
The Clippers (49-26) led by as much as 17 in the first quarter
before Golden State cut the deficit to single digits before
halftime. Curry initiated the comeback, scoring 11 points in the
second quarter, including a four-point play. Curry also hit three
3-pointers in the first half.
"Once we let the Warriors get loose, they started making shots,"
Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "That is what they are; they are
shot-makers."
The Clippers, though, led 53-46 at the break behind Griffin's 18
points on 9-of-13 shooting.
The Warriors prevailed despite playing without forward Draymond
Green, who sat out due to sore shins.
NOTES: Even the coaches added more spice to the rivalry before the
game. "We kind of assumed that they didn't want to take the risk of
going 2-2 (in the season series) with their regular guys," Clippers
coach Doc Rivers said regarding Golden State's decision to sit F
Draymond Green. Countered Warriors coach Steve Kerr, "Either that or
we have a nine-game (Pacific Division) lead with a couple of guys
banged up." ... Clippers G Jamal Crawford, who missed his 14th game
with a right calf contusion, participated in pregame shooting
drills. The timetable for his return remains unknown. ... A moment
of silence was observed for the late "Hot Rod" Hundley, a former NBA
player and broadcaster who died Friday at age 80. ... The Clippers
visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, while the Warriors
host the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
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