LOS ANGELES — The Warriors didn’t have Steph Curry or Draymond Inexperienced, however they performed with the kind of depth that such a disadvantageous scenario requires.
Combating for each rebound, making use of ball strain, trapping dribblers and wreaking havoc at any alternative, the Warriors minimize a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to 3.
However the comeback effort went in the end unfinished. Jonathan Kuminga scored a career-high 34 factors on 11-for-19 taking pictures and 11-for-14 on the foul line, however he was the lone vibrant spot in a sluggish offensive evening.
Golden State’s twenty third ranked offense in December is sure to fall much more after the Warriors put up 92 factors and shot 7-for-38 (18%) from behind the 3-point arc.
Curry (knee harm administration) and Inexperienced (again contusion) every sat out the primary evening of a back-to-back, requiring the Warriors to summon a miracle. The fourth quarter teased one, however ended anticlimactically in a 102-92 defeat.
After beginning the season 12-3, the Warriors are .500. They’ve misplaced 12 of their final 15 video games, a slide that has spanned 5 weeks of uninspiring play, a relentless seek for lineup options and a motivational speech from Curry. Golden State (15-15) is in a dangerous place with two video games left within the calendar yr.
The Warriors are who they’re due to Curry and Inexperienced. So with out them for an evening, they wanted to vary.
Final time every of them missed a recreation, the Warriors beat the Rockets behind a season-high 33 factors from Kuminga. The fourth-year wing had the ball in his palms rather more than regular, initiating offense and operating excessive pick-and-rolls.
In opposition to the Clippers, what they missed by way of star energy and shot creation, the Warriors tried to make up with power. Golden State chased down seven offensive rebounds in as many minutes to start out the sport. Even after they shot 30% from the ground and 3-for-12 from deep — together with a pair of airballs — they gained the primary quarter by two. Brandin Podziemski rattled in a triple to place the Warriors forward earlier than the buzzer.
Within the recreation, the Warriors hauled in 19 offensive rebounds and compelled 21 turnovers.
Kuminga got here off the bench and shortly grew to become the offensive focus upon his entrance. Steve Kerr saved him in for 18 straight minutes throughout the primary and second quarters.
He earned the prolonged look, scoring 13 factors together with 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Kuminga additionally made an impression defensively, closing possessions with rebounds and intercepting an entry move on the perimeter, resulting in a Buddy Hield transition 3.
Like with that play, the Warriors tried to explode the Clippers’ offensive units earlier than they started by denying Ivica Zubac and different initiators the ball. On offense, they performed rather more drive-and-kick ball than standard, adjusting with their personnel. Dennis Schroder (7 factors on 3-for-11 taking pictures) additionally ran a wholesome quantity of pick-and-rolls, however couldn’t discover the web and acquired benched for the fourth quarter.
Out of halftime, the Clippers realized Golden State had virtually no exterior taking pictures, in order that they packed the paint to stuff something within the paint. They went 0-for-8 from 3 and scored simply 19 factors within the third quarter. The one likelihood they needed to reliably rating was in transition.
James Harden focused the smaller Schroder on the opposite finish. When the Warriors had Kuminga top-lock him, he solved that, too. Norman Powell and Derrick Jones Jr. equipped supplementary scoring, serving to the Clippers stretch a nine-point halftime benefit to an 81-62 blowout.
Dealing with the 19-point deficit, the Warriors relentlessly turned the Clippers over with ball strain. In a 90-second span, Golden State compelled 4 straight giveaways. Lindy Waters III intercepted Harden then stripped him — two of 4 turnovers within the last body for the Clippers guard.
As Harden melted down, Trayce Jackson-Davis flipped in a child hook to make it a five-point recreation with slightly below 5 minutes left, capping an 18-4 run. Minutes later, Kuminga — initiating the offense within the halfcourt — discovered Moses Moody within the nook for a 3-pointer, inching inside three.
But the Clippers reached again for a 9-0 knockout run in crunch time.
Effort was by no means an issue for the undermanned Warriors. However within the final two minutes, the Clippers had simply sufficient to stave off Golden State.
