Category: Golden State Warriors

Warriors lead wire-to-wire to beat Suns 123-112; Golden State picks up 8th consecutive home victory

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, left, makes a 3-point basket against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) during the first half at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Mar 13, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors (36-33), coming off an exciting win over the Milwaukee Bucks (37-31) last Saturday, did not have a let down as they defeated the Phoenix Suns 123-112 Monday night at the Chase Center. The Suns had beaten the Warriors three times earlier in the season.

The Warriors wanted to win this game. Both teams were missing key players due to injury. The Suns’ Kevin Durant was out with an ankle injury. The Warriors did not have Jonathan Kuminga available, either. 

There’s a saying in the NBA that a team cannot win a game with a great first period. Teams can lose a game by not playing well. Behind Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, the Warriors raced out to an early 43-21 lead. Thompson led the Warriors with 18, and Curry added 12.

JaMychal Green, coming off the bench, pitched in with seven. The Suns got their offense going in the second quarter. Devon Booker and DeAndre Ayton started making buckets, and the Suns were able to win the quarter 37-32 to cut the deficit to 17, 75-58. 

As NBA fans know, many teams can overcome a 17-point deficit in the second half. The Suns needed to continue to play well on defense and get the Warriors to commit fouls. The formula worked. The momentum shifted to Phoenix for most of the third quarter. Thompson, who had 33 points in the first half, did not score in the quarter.

The Warriors made bad passes and turned the ball over several times. The Suns did not take three-point shots. They drove the ball to the basket. The Warriors committed four fouls early in the quarter, allowing the Suns to get to the free throw line. The Suns closed the gap to three, 87-84.

Curry’s bucket put the Warriors ahead 90-84. Jordan Poole knocked down a three to make 93-84. The Warriors finished the third period leading by ten, 98-88.

Poole came to life in the fourth quarter. Poole hit a three to put the Warriors ahead by 14, 110-96. The Warriors offense kept the pressure on the Suns. Poole made a three and a two-pointer to give the Warriors a 16-point advantage, 118-12. Curry made a three to put the Warriors in the driver’s seat, 123-106. The Suns scored the last six points of the game in garbage time.

Game Notes: The Warriors won their eighth straight at the Chase Center. They are 29-7 at home. The Warriors improved to 36-33. The Suns fell to 37-31.

Thompson paced the Warriors with 38 points. Thompson had 33 in the first half and five in the second. Thompson recorded eight threes. Curry’s line was 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, and he made four threes. Poole had 20 points, and he made four threes.

Draymond Green had four points, six rebounds, and four assists. Early in the fourth quarter, Draymond made an easy bucket when the Phoenix defense thought he would pass the ball. Draymond turned, and there was no one in his way and made the slam to give the team a 12-point lead. 

Booker led the Suns with 32 points. Booler did not make a three. The other big gun in the Suns’ offense, DeAndre Ayton, had a double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Chris Paul had a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists. Josh Okogie also had eleven.

The Warriors, who are 7-26 away from the Chase Center, begin a five-game road trip starting Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. They play the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, The Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. It will be the last back-to-back games of the year for the Warriors. They meet the Houston Rockets on Monday, the 20th, and the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, the 22. The Warriors return home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, the 24th. 

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors get a big win in OT against Bucks

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, right, shoots against Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis Jr., left, and center Brook Lopez during the first half at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Mar 11, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Warriors lost the last three games on their recent road trip to the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, And Memphis Grizzlies.

#2 The Warriors still needed the services of Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins has been gone for almost a month with family matters. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that as much as he would like to have Wiggins back, it needs to be clarified if he returns before the season ends.

#3 Kerr had to find a way to beat the Milwaukee Bucks (48-19). The Bucks entered the game with the best record in the Eastern Conference. However, the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo was out due to a wrist injury. One team wanted to snap a three-game losing streak.

#4 With about two minutes left to play, the Bucks led by eight. Milwaukee was killing the Warriors from behind the three-point arc. Joe Ingles, Jrue Holiday, and Jevon Carter were making threes. The Warriors’ Stephen Curry got hot in the fourth quarter, and he kept the Warriors close.

#5 The Warriors host the Phoenix Suns at the Chase Center Monday night. The Suns will be without Kevin Durant. Durant sprained an ankle and will be out for a month. The game will start at 7 pm.

Barbara Mason podcasts Warriors basketball Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors win thriller in OT beat Bucks 125-116; Giannis sits out with wrist injury

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Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (22) looks to pass the ball while being defended by Golden State Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo during the first half at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sat Mar 11, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

It was quite a night for the Golden State Warriors (35-33) they returned home to the friendly confines of the Chase Center. The Warriors lost the last three games on their recent road trip to the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, And Memphis Grizzlies.

In addition, Jonathan Kuminga sprained his ankle and was not in the lineup on Saturday. The Warriors still needed the services of Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins has been gone for almost a month with family matters. Steve Kerr said that as much as he would like to have Wiggins back, it needs to be clarified if he returns before the season ends.

Kerr had to find a way to beat the Milwaukee Bucks (48-19). The Bucks entered the game with the best record in the Eastern Conference. However, the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo was out due to a wrist injury. One team wanted to snap a three-game losing streak.

The other team wanted to extend their nine-game win streak on the road. The question was not answered in regulation as the Warriors, trailed by eight with two minutes left to play, went on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 111-111. In the five-minute overtime period, the Warriors outscored the Bucks 14-5 to win the game 125-116.

Both teams had little offense in the first half. The Bucks shot 34% from the floor, while the Warriors were slighty better at 35%. The Warriors finished the first half with a slight lead, 50-49. JaMychal Green, coming off the bench, led the Warriors with 13. Donte DiVincenzo was second with 12. Klay Thompson had four, and Stephen Curry had seven.

In the NBA, teams get their offense going in the second half. The Warriors won the third quarter 30-28 to finish the third period with a three-point lead, 80-77. The Bucks knew they had a chance to get the win. In the fourth quarter, Milwaukee looked like they would pin a loss on the Warriors.

With about two minutes left to play, the Bucks led by eight. Milwaukee was killing the Warriors from behind the three-point arc. Joe Ingles, Jrue Holiday, and Jevon Carter were making threes. The Warriors’ Curry got hot in the fourth quarter, and he kept the Warriors close.

However, the clock was not in the Warriors favor as they trailed by eight. Clay, Thompson, and DiVincenzo led the Warriors rally as they rallied to tie the game, 111-111. The Warriors defense stopped Jrue Holiday as he was going in to make the winning bucket. The Warriors got the ball back with 1.9 seconds. Curry inbounded the ball to Green. Green’s three-point shot was not good. The game went to overtime.

In the overtime period, the Bucks scored first, and the Warriors came back to tie the game. Curry led the offense, and the Warriors defense stepped up to hold the Bucks to three points in the five-minute overtime period. The Warriors won 125-116.

Game Notes- The Warriors improved to 35-33. The Bucks are now 48-19.
Curry was the offensive star for Golden State. Curry was everywhere on the court in the fourth quarter and the overtime period. Curry made one three-point shot in the first half. He made five in the second half. Thompson did not make a three in the first half.

Thompson knocked down four in the second half. The Warriors had five players in double figures. Curry led the team with 36. Thompson had 22, and DiVincenzo had 20. DiVincenzo made six threes. DiVincenzo also had a double-double as he pulled down ten boards. JaMychal Green had 18, and Jordan Poole added 13. Draymond Green tallied five points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists. Kevon Looney had seven points and 15 rebounds.

The Bucks had six players in double-figures. Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez led the Bucks with 19 points each. Jrue Holiday added 18. Included in his 18 were four threes. Joe Inglis, who loves to kill the Warriors by making threes, continued his onslaught as he connected five times from three-point range. Bobby Portis helped the Bucks with 15.

The Warriors host the Phoenix Suns at the Chase Center Monday night. The Suns will be without Kevin Durant. Durant sprained an ankle and will be out for a month. The game will start at 7 pm.

Grizzlies Pound Golden State 131-110

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) handles the ball against Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks (24) in the first half in Memphis on Thu Mar 9, 2023 (AP News photo)

Grizzlies Pound Golden State 131-110

By Barbara Mason

Thursday night the Golden State Warriors (34-33) took on the Memphis Grizzlies (39-26) in Game three of their most recent road trip in a continuing effort to figure out how to win on the road. It has been an ongoing nightmare and they have not been able to figure out jut what is going so terribly wrong. The just couldn’t figure it out again dropping their

The Grizzlies were without Ja Morant, out for at least six games. This could prove to be a golden opportunity for the Warriors to win a third game over the Grizzlies this season

The first quarter of this game was more of the same with Memphis all over the Warriors scoring 48 points their highest opening quarter of this season. They won the quarter 48-28. Again the Warriors trailed by double digits as they have done in every game on this road trip.

The Warriors made a move in the second quarter pulling to within four points 57-53 with just over four minutes left in the first half. The Grizzles swallowed up the Warriors bid thanks in part to some horrific defense from Golden State. Numerous sloppy turnovers did nothing for the Warrior’s cause. They had four in a row in the final minutes of the half giving Memphis a 20-6 run. Memphis led at the half 77-59.

Memphis had more rebounds, more shots from downtown and shot at 56% from the field compared to the Warriors 44.4%. The Grizzlies had outplayed the Warriors at every turn. Head Coach Steve Kerr was visibly upset with what he saw on the court from the Warriors defensively.

Golden State continued to hang around and with 4:19 left in the third quarter had pulled to within five points 89-84. Every time the Warriors challenged, Memphis answered continuing to extend their lead. With 4:15 left in the third the Grizzlies led 92-84. Despite winning the third quarter 33-22 the Warriors continued to trail 99-92 going into the fourth quarter.

With 6:39 left in the game the Grizzlies continued to surge leading 115-100. The final was 131-103 in favor of the Grizzlies. WIth the Western Conference so bunched up in second all the way through tenth place, every game is critical and Golden State is just not playing like it’s critical.

What does a coach do? This brand of defense is totally deserving of ranting and raving but to what end? It just seems that this lack of defense on the road is so deeply imbedded in the players heads that nothing short of surgery is going to fix it.

Stephen Curry finished with the high shooting for 29 points. Jordan Poole had 22 points with Draymond Green and Klay Thompson both in double digits. It was just the lack of defense that decided this game.

Saturday night the Warriors will take on the Milwaukee Bucks at Chase Center. They will be looking to get back on the winning track. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 PM.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Warriors in Memphis tonight; Golden State trying to snap two game loss streak

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots in front of Golden State Warriors forward JaMychal Green, center, and forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. (7) in the first half in Memphis on Tue Mar 7, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Jerry F:

#1  Unfortunately for Golden State it was more of the same and they trailed after the first 12 minutes 40-30 and couldn’t hold on in the end losing to the Thunder 137-128.

#2 The Warriors began to turn things around in the second quarter and when all was said and done had shot ten three’s. They still trailed at the half but it was a manageable 68-64.

#3 Golden State took a slim lead in the third quarter as this game remained very tight mid-way through the quarter 83-82 in favor of OKC. The Thunder were beasts from downtown with 14 shots made and five minutes left in the quarter. 

#4 The Warriors needed stops and they needed to make shots. It just didn’t happen and the Thunder rode comfortably across the finish line.

#5 Golden State has one more game left on this short road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30.

Join Jerry for Warriors podcasts each Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Golden State Warriors game wrap: Another Road Loss For Warriors – Lose to Thunder 137-128

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots as Golden State Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo, right, defends in the first half at Oklahoma City on Tue Mar 7, 2023 (AP News photo)

Another Road Loss For Warriors – Lose to Thunder 137-128

By Barbara Mason

Tuesday night the Golden State Warriors (34-32) took on the Thunder in Oklahoma City (31-34). The Warriors are still looking to turn things around as they enter another road game searching for a winning formula that has so far eluded them this season. Anthony Lamb did not play in this game with foot soreness and Andrew Wiggins remains out.

The Warriors did not want to fall into an early hole in this game. The Warriors have seen this over and over in the first quarter of these road games. Unfortunately for Golden State it was more of the same and they trailed after the first 12 minutes 40-30 and couldn’t hold on in the end losing to the Thunder 137-128.

The Warriors began to turn things around in the second quarter and when all was said and done had shot ten three’s. They still trailed at the half but it was a manageable 68-64. Stephen Curry had 16 points and Klay Thompson had the high with 17. A real shift in favor of the Warriors could be sensed as the “Splash Brothers” got things rolling in the first half.

Golden State took a slim lead in the third quarter as this game remained very tight mid-way through the quarter 83-82 in favor of OKC. The Thunder were beasts from downtown with 14 shots made and five minutes left in the quarter. The Warriors were getting some great looks but could not connect and with 1:37 left in the quarter were faced with an 11 point deficit 101-92.

After three quarters OKC led 105-99. The Warriors have not won a game when trailing after three quarters. The good news however was that Curry was seven of eight from beyond the arc going into the fourth quarter.

The Warriors needed stops and they needed to make shots. It just didn’t happen and the Thunder rode comfortably across the finish line 137-128. You had a game with Curry scoring 40 points, seven assists and Thompson with 23 and Kuminga with 21?

Golden State hit 20 shots from beyond the arc, shoots at almost 53% and still lost. It all points squarely at the defense. With that said, the Warriors did miss too many open shots and had to many turnovers and fouls. It’s yet another road lose as this scourge continues.

Golden State has one more game left on this short road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies Thursday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30.

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason: Warriors struggles continue road record at 7-24; Morant won’t face Warriors on Thursday

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Look whose back this was Stephen Curry’s first return since his leg injury after missing 11 games. Here is Curry against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Sun Mar 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Warriors had a terrific home stand and tested their road legs after struggling defensively all season on the road. Sunday’s performance didn’t enhance their road record dropping the contest to the Lakers 113-105.

#2 Golden State will welcomed Stephen Curry back while still awaiting the return of Andrew Wiggins. The Lakers were without LeBron James who suffered a right foot tendon injury February 26 against the Dallas Mavericks and will more than likely be lost to the team for much of this month.

#3 The final quarter of this game was tight and was tied with 5:16 left in regulation 91-91. Golden State had some opportunities but suffered far too many empty possessions which was making a huge difference in this game. 

#4 The crazy road losses continue and this team needs to figure this out with a lot of games coming up away from Chase and time running out on the season.

#5 Tuesday night the Warriors will take on the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM. Another road game do you find it that the Warriors can struggle in OKC too?

Join Barbara for the Warriors podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors Road Woes Continue Losing To Lakers 113-105

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Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis, bottom, is defended by Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green during the second half at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sun Mar 5, 2023 (AP News photo)

Warriors Road Woes Continue Losing To Lakers 113-105

By Barbara Mason

Coming off a five-game winning streak, the Golden State Warriors (34-30) took on the Los Angeles Lakers (30-34) at crypto.com Arena. The Warriors had a terrific home stand and tested their road legs after struggling defensively all season on the road. Sunday’s performance didn’t enhance their road record dropping the contest to the Lakers 113-105.

Golden State welcomed Stephen Curry back while still awaiting the return of Andrew Wiggins. The Lakers were without LeBron James who suffered a right foot tendon injury February 26 against the Dallas Mavericks and will more than likely be lost to the team for much of this month.

The first quarter was all Lakers and next to nothing for the Warriors. The Lakers Anthony Davis had a terrific start in this game with 19 points. The Warriors offense was struggling with the only points from the starting five coming from Klay Thompson with nine and off the bench Jonathan Kuminga and JaMychal Green with eight points collectively. The Warriors had four turnovers in the quarter, three of them from traveling. The Lakers led 33-18 after the first 12 minutes crushing Golden State. Curry, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and Donte DiVincenzo all came up empty.

After trailing by as much as 20 points in the first quarter, the Warriors started to come around. They had trimmed the Laker lead to six points in the opening minutes of the second quarter 35-29.

The Warriors kept chipping away, and at 5:34 left in the first half had pulled to within one point 41-40. The Lakers went on a run extending their lead to ten points but the Warriors fought back and trailed 55-54 at the half. Golden State had an exceptional second quarter winning it 36-22.

Curry hit his first shots of the game in the second quarter finishing with eight points. Klay Thompson had 15 points in the first half and Jordan Poole had ten points off the bench. The Warriors had all the momentum going in this game as they headed into the third quarter.

The Warriors fell off a bit losing much of the momentum they had garnered in the second quarter. The Lakers won the quarter 23-18 and led going into the fourth 78-72.

The final quarter of this game was tight and was tied with 5:16 left in regulation 91-91. Golden State had some opportunities but suffered far too many empty possessions which was making a huge difference in this game. With two minutes left in the game two points separated the two teams 103-101. With 48.9 left on the clock Anthony Davis orchestrated the final blow with a 5-foot jump shot to give the Lakers a 109-101.

The slow start in this game for Golden State was one of the deciding factors in this loss. Empty possessions also hurt the team. Despite a quiet first quarter, Curry really picked it up finishing with 27 points. Thompson had 22 points. The crazy road losses continue and this team needs to figure this out with a lot of games coming up away from Chase and time running out on the season.

The terrific game from the Lakers Davis was a huge factor in this Los Angeles win as they fight to even make the playoffs. He had 39 points and was unstoppable helping his team win despite the absence of LeBron and D’Angelo Russell.

Tuesday night the Warriors will take on the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Warriors overcome 17-point deficit to beat Pelicans 108-99

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Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) tries to get past New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones during the first half at Chase Center in San Francisco on Fri Mar 3, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

My oh my. How do the Warriors do it? For the fourth straight game, the Warriors overcame a double-digit deficit to win. The script was the same. The Warriors start slowly, then get the offense in gear and stop the opponent’s offense. They did that against Minnesota, Portland, and the LA Clippers.

Friday night’s foe, The New Orleans Pelicans, came into town with the NBA’s best defense against the three-point shot. Steve Kerr’s answer was for the Warriors to drive to the basket, get fouled, and have the Warriors defense stop the Pelican offense.

The Warriors didn’t get the message in the first quarter as the Pelicans led by 17, 35-18. Jonathan Kuminga made a three at the end of the period to get the Warriors closer, 35- 21. The Warriors started the comeback in the second quarter, holding the Pelicans to 22 points.

As they did in the games against Portland and LA, the Warrior defense allowed the Pelicans 21 points in the third quarter and 21 points in the fourth. The Warrior offense perked up, and behind the play of Klay Thompson, Kuminga, and Jordan Poole, The Warriors won a thriller 108-99.

Trailing by 15 points starting the second period, the Warriors outscored the Pelicans 33-22. JaMychal Green, coming off the bench, tallied eleven points to help the Warriors get back into the game. Thompson had 11, Kumina had nine, and Poole and Kevon Looney had eight. The Warriors finished the first half trailing 57-54. The Pelicans had four players in double figures in the first half Naji Marshall led the Pelicans with 12. Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy, and C J McCollum each had ten.

In the previous two games, Golden State owned the third quarter. The Warriors did win the quarter 28-21 to end the third quarter with a four-point lead 82-78. Thompson led the surge by making three threes. The Warriors defense put the shackles on the Pelican’s Ingram.

A four-point lead is relatively easy to overcome in the fourth quarter. The Pelicans had to find a way to break down the Warrior defense. The Pelicans wanted to get the ball to McCullom or Ingram. Draymond Green, Kuminga, Looney, and Donte DiVincenzo was tasked with stopping the Pelicans.

Things did not go well for the Warriors. The Pelicans fought back and regained the lead 93-89. Anthony Lamb made a three to make it a 93-92 game. Thompson made his fourth three of the night to put the Warriors ahead 95-93. DiVincenzo made his first and only basket of the night.

It was a three-pointer. DiVincenzo spent most of the night playing defense against the Pelican’s two big stars, Ingram and McCollum. The Warriors defense made the stops, and the offense carried them to a hard-fought 108-99 win.

Game Notes: The Warriors won their fifth straight game. They are now four games over the .500 mark with a record of 34-30. The Pelicans fall to 31-33.

The Warriors had six players in double figures. Thompson led the team with 27 points and four threes. Kuminga had another big game. The young star finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. He played well on both ends of the court. Poole did not make a three.

What Poole did was take the ball to the basket. He was fouled several times, and he knocked down 12 free throws. His point total for the game was 18. Looney had a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds. JaMYchal Green had 14 points and six boards. Anthony Lamb made three threes and finished with 11. 

Instead of winning the game from behind the three-point arc, the Warriors won by outscoring the Pelicans 52-36 with points in the paint.

The Pelicans’ leading scorer was McCollum with 25. Ingram had 17. Trey Murphy had 16, and Naji Marshall finished with 14.

The Warriors meet the Los Angeles Lakers in LA on Sunday. Warriors guard Stephen Curry will be returning to the Warriors lineup. The game will start at 12:30 pm.

Poole leads Warriors to comeback win over Clippers 115-91 at Golden State

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Every is okay with the Golden State Warriors Jordan Poole who led Golden State with 32 points against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thu Mar 2, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

As Yogi Berra once said, “it was deja vu all over again.” For the second game in a row, the Golden State Warriors (33-30) played a sub-par first half and then stormed back in the second half as they beat the LA Clippers (33-32) 115-91 Thursday night at the Chase Center. The Warriors won their fourth consecutive game while the Clippers lost their fourth in a row.

Still, without Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors kept pace with the Clippers in the first quarter. The teams exchanged the lead several times in the first 12 minutes. The Clippers finished the quarter with a slim one-point lead, 27-26.

Things changed for the worse for the Warriors in the second period. The Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard and Paul George made life miserable for the Warriors. The Warriors’ offense went ice-cold. The Warriors could not buy a bucket. They made three threes in 22 tries.

The Clippers made six threes. The Warriors shot 33% from the floor, the Clippers 50%. Los Angeles entered the locker room at the end of the first half with an 11 point advantage of 56-45 

The Warriors wanted to avenge the 134-124 loss to the Clippers last month in LA. It didn’t look like that would happen. The fans thought it would not be a good night for the Warriors. The fans knew the Warriors shut down the Portland Trailblazers in Tuesday night’s second half. Could they do it again? The Clippers are a better defensive team than the Blazers.

The Warriors answered the question. Yes, they could do it again, and they could do it again against a better defensive team. How did they do it? Jordan Poole was the man in the third quarter. Poole was all over the court. He scored 22 points in the quarter, and the Warrior defense shut down the Clippers’ offense.

The Warriors won the quarter 42-16 to finish the quarter leading 87-72. The Warriors went from an 11 point halftime deficit to a 15-point lead. At one point in the quarter, the Warriors went on a 38-8 run.

In the NBA, 15-point leads can disappear quickly in the fourth quarter. The Warriors knew that they should not turnovers the ball or start to commit fouls. Those mistakes could allow the Clippers to get back into the game. Steve Kerr’s team did not make those mistakes, and they increased the lead to 24, 100-76.

Everyone made contributions to get the win for Golden State. Kevon Looney, Jonathan Kuminga, Donte DiVincenzo, and Anthony Lamb performed well. Poole was the star of the game. Poole finished the night with 34 points. Poole did not make a three-point shot in the first half.

Poole knocked down five threes to lead the Warriors to the win. Klay Thompson was second on the team with 19. Thompson had a career-high 11 rebounds. It was his first double-double game since the 2017 season. The Warriors cruised to a 115-91 victory.

Game Notes: With the win, the Warriors are 33-30. They are three games over the.500 mark for the first time this year. The Clippers fell to 33-32. The Warriors are now in third place in the Pacific division of the Western Conference.

Kuminga played well on both ends of the court. Kuminga recorded 19 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Jonathan knocked down three threes. Kerr had to be pleased with his 20-year-old phenom. Draymond Green finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Looney added 11 points and pulled down eight boards. DiVincenzo scored five points. DiVincenzo played a ferocious defense all night long. He also had eleven rebounds.

Kawhi Leonard paced the Clippers with 21 points. Leonard made two threes. Eric Gordon had 16, Paul George 11, Mason Plumlee 12, and Russell Westbrook had eight points.

The Warriors shot 41% from the floor. The Clippers were held to 36%. The Clippers shot 50% in the first half. The numbers show the great defensive effort the Warriors had in the second half. The Warriors made 14 threes, the Clippers nine. The Clippers had six in the first half, nine-for-43 from three-point range. 

Curry is almost ready to rejoin the team, possibly as early as Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers in LA.

The Warriors play the New Orleans Pelicans Friday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 7 pm.