LDN - Sports

Warriors defeat Clippers for ninth straight time

[February 03, 2017] LOS ANGELES -- Despite missing some key performers, the Golden State Warriors had little trouble conquering the Los Angeles Clippers again.

Stephen Curry scored 29 points and handed out 11 assists, and Kevin Durant almost recorded a triple-double, sparking the Warriors to a 133-120 victory over the Clippers on Thursday night at Staples Center. It was the ninth consecutive time the Warriors defeated the Clippers.

Durant collected 26 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Warriors (43-7), who won their fifth in a row and 12th in the past 13 games. Klay Thompson had 21 points as seven Warriors reached double figures. Andre Iguodala scored 13 points, while Ian Clark and JaVale McGee finished with 11 points apiece.

"I thought we took the fight to them right away," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "I think we forced turnovers on the first three possessions of the game and that set a good tone for us. And we had a lot of offensive rebounds. A lot of long rebounds tonight with all the 3-point shooting and we got a to a lot of balls and created extra possessions."

Curry's lone 3-pointer in the first half allowed him to become the first NBA player to hit 200 or more from long distance in five straight seasons. Curry has 202 3-pointers this season. He connected on 11 of 23 shots from the floor and 3 of 10 from 3-point range.

Blake Griffin had 31 points and eight rebounds for the Clippers (31-19), who dropped five of their last seven contests. Jamal Crawford added 21 points, Austin Rivers scored 18 and J.J. Redick chipped in 17 for the Clippers.

The Warriors prevailed despite being without Draymond Green (left shoulder contusion), Zaza Pachulia (right rotator cuff strain), Shaun Livingston (back strain) and David West (left thumb fracture).

Durant spelled Green at power forward and distributed the wealth with an outstanding and balanced performance.

"I have never started at (power forward) since college," said the former University of Texas star. "It was cool tonight. I felt like I could sit back there and survey the offense from the top of the key, make direct passes. I felt good about not having a turnover tonight after seven a couple of games ago. I felt good about that, but I could've been more aggressive getting to the basket."

Clippers point guard Chris Paul missed his seventh game since undergoing surgery on his left thumb Jan. 18. The Clippers are 2-5 without Paul.

The Warriors, who never trailed, led by as much as 21 in the second half before the Clippers made a run late. A 3-pointer by Crawford pulled Los Angeles within 124-117 with 1:54 remaining, but back-to-back treys by Durant and Thompson sealed the outcome for Golden State.

"When you (start well) on the road, it's important," Curry said. "You don't want to be fighting an uphill battle, relying on pure energy to get you back into the game. So, we came out with intent."

[to top of second column]

Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) brings the ball up court against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Their solid start and finish allowed them to trump the Clippers.

"We have to be more organized when we play them," Redick said. "They don't really run a lot of plays. It is just a lot of movement."

Durant's 17 first-half points helped stake Golden State to a 65-55 lead at the break.

The Warriors grabbed 46 rebounds to 37 for the Clippers and finished with a 15-9 edge on the offensive end.

Golden State had 38 assists to 24 for Los Angeles.

Griffin tried to put a positive spin on the loss.

"We have 34 games left and we have to play a lot of teams beside Golden State, but we need to get guys healthy to try to weather the storm and take things one game at a time," Griffin said.

NOTES: Clippers F Blake Griffin passed Bob McAdoo for second place on the franchise all-time scoring with 9,444 points. Randy Smith is the franchise leader at 12,735. ... Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the club decided to be cautious and hold out F Draymond Green (left shoulder contusion), who was hurt in the third quarter of Wednesday's victory over the Charlotte Hornets. "He'll take tonight off. Obviously, we have a day off (Friday) and we'll see how he's doing," Kerr said. ... Clippers G Jamal Crawford was 5 for 8 from 3-point range, giving him 1,996 in his career. ... The Warriors shot 50 percent from the field or better and recorded 30 or more assists in 23 games this season, winning all of them. ... The Warriors visit the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. The Clippers begin a five-game swing against the Celtics on Sunday in Boston.

Back to top