Clippers lose again at Golden State, falling 106-98 on Sunday

The Clippers lost again to the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, falling 106-98 on Sunday afternoon.

When the Clippers played there on Nov. 5, they lost 121-104, prompting Coach Doc Rivers to call the team “soft.”

Rivers’ words might not be as harsh this time around, though the team did trail by as many as 22 points.

The Warriors outscored the Clippers in the third quarter, 30-18, to take an 87-68 lead into the fourth quarter. The Clippers trailed by 22 points in the fourth quarter before going on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to nine, 101-92, with just under two minutes left. The Clippers, however, could not complete the comeback.

The Clippers now trail the Warriors, 2-1, in their season series. The Clippers have not beaten the Warriors in Oakland since 2011.

The Warriors outshot the Clippers from beyond the three-point line, 45.5% to 32%. The Warriors also shot 23 free throws, of which they made 16, while the Clippers were only sent to the free-throw line 14 times, making 10.

The Clippers were playing without two of their three top scorers -- Blake Griffin (who remains sidelined after having surgery Feb. 9 to remove a staph infection from his right elbow) and Jamal Crawford (right calf bruise).

In their absence, Austin Rivers led the Clippers with 22 points on eight-of-14 shooting off the bench. J.J. Redick had 18 points on eight-of-12 shooting. Chris Paul finished with 14 points, though it took him 17 shots to get them, 11 assists and a very uncharacteristic five turnovers.

DeAndre Jordan had a relatively quiet performance compared to his recent ones, finishing with six points and 14 rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu made four of nine shots from three-point range to finish with 12 points.

Nate Robinson, whom the Clippers signed to a 10-day contract Saturday, had five points on one-for-six shooting in 20 minutes.

Draymond Green led the Warriors with 23 points and six assists. Klay Thompson made nine of 13 shots, including three for five from long distance, to finish with 21 points, while Shaun Livingston added 21 points on nine-of-14 shooting off the bench.

The Clippers are now 7-5 without Griffin.

They return home to host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.