Five takeaways from the Clippers’ 115-98 loss to the Warriors
The Clippers dropped their seventh consecutive game to the Warriors (19-3) on Wednesday night, falling 115-98 at Staples Center. The Clippers have now lost five of seven games and failed to reach 100 points for the sixth time this season.
Below are five takeaways from the game.
1. Early and often
The Clippers really hurt themselves with turnovers, especially at the start of the game and the start of the third quarter.
They committed nine first-quarter turnovers, five by Blake Griffin alone, and fell behind by 18 points by the start of the second. Griffin finished with seven turnovers and the Clippers, eventually settling down, ended up with a modest 14. The Warriors notched only 11 turnovers in the contest.
The Clippers’ turnovers made it hard for them to slow down the Warriors, both in pace and scoring. The Warriors finished with 27 fast-break points while the Clippers collected only 11. The Clippers trailed by just 13 at halftime, but a flurry of turnovers at the start of the third quarter helped the Warriors mount a 16-5 run that effectively put the game out of reach.
“You know it’s funny,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said of how the turnovers affected the game. “I think the first five or six possessions neither team scored. Our defense was good. Overall, I think our defense was pretty good when we were playing without turnovers. It was disappointing.”
Clippers Coach Doc Rivers talks about the 115-98 loss to Golden State on Wednesday night.
2. Scoring without shooting (well)
The Warriors shot an uncharacteristic 23.3% from three-point range — making just seven of 30 attempts — but still found a way to score 115 points.
Stephen Curry missed all eight of his three-point attempts, Kevin Durant made one of five, and the Warriors’ bench combined to shoot zero for six from beyond the arc.
Warriors Coach Steve Kerr said his team “really didn’t get much going offensively” but did take care of the ball well. The Warriors also assisted on 32 of their 42 made shots, becoming the first team to finish with more than 30 assists against the Clippers this season. They also scored 58 points in the paint, which was 20 more than the Clippers did.
“I’m hoping it was their defense,” Rivers said of how the Warriors beat his team while misfiring from deep. “Just our turnovers. ... We set the tone early, turned the ball over.”
3. Not his night
Griffin’s season-high seven turnovers were not the only blemishes on his performance.
The Clippers’ star power forward tied a season-low with 12 points and made just five of his 20 shot attempts. He also was responsible for guarding Warriors forward Draymond Green for much of the game, and Green finished with 22 points and hit three of his five three-point attempts.
“I turned the ball over, I put myself in those positions,” Griffin said. “I missed some easy shots, I forced some bad shots. Not to take away from anything they did. They played solid.”
Clippers forward Blake Griffin talks about the 115-98 loss to Golden State.
4. Bench pressing
Point guard Raymond Felton did not play in the game, but the Clippers’ bench did lift the team throughout the night.
The Clippers’ five starters combined for just 41 points — Green and Klay Thompson, by comparison, combined for 46 — and the offensive slack was picked up by the second unit. Jamal Crawford finished with a team-high 21 (13 of which came in the second quarter), Marreese Speights had 15, and Austin Rivers netted 14. Doc Rivers also went back to Wesley Johnson as the bench group’s power forward, and Johnson played 15 minutes, notching seven points.
“Thank God for that second group,” Doc Rivers said. “A couple times, they kind of kept us in the game. Other than that, it wasn’t much of a game.”
Felton is expected to miss a couple of games following the death of his grandmother. Forward Alan Anderson played 13 minutes in Felton’s absence and did not score.
Clippers point guard Chris Paul talks about the 115-98 loss to Golden State.
5. Missing spirit
Chris Paul, Doc Rivers and Griffin all agreed: The Clippers were lacking “spirit” on Wednesday night.
So what does that mean exactly?
“I think resiliency,” Griffin said. “I think just knowing they’re going to make the run and then turning right back at them and not being down on a 7-0 run or whatever it is, and bouncing back and fighting.”
Twitter: @dougherty_jesse
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