Clippers vs. Warriors: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season
The Los Angeles Clippers outscored the Golden State Warriors 37-18 in the second quarter of Thursday's game and still couldn't find a way to beat the two-time defending Western Conference champions.
Getting outscored 50-26 in the third will do that.
Golden State handled the Clippers 123-113 in Oracle Arena and extended its winning streak in the rivalry to 10 games. The Warriors previously beat Los Angeles by 17, 46 and 13, but the Clippers can take solace knowing Thursday was the final regular-season matchup between the sides.
A 12-point halftime deficit was nothing for Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, who combined for 35 of Golden State's 50 points in the third. ESPN Stats & Info noted the lethal duo spearheaded recent history:
Golden State is now 48-9 and 25-3 at home and overcame 21 turnovers, six of which were Draymond Green's, thanks to a dominant offensive performance. Curry, Durant and Klay Thompson led the way, and the team as a whole shot 53.1 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from deep.
| Stephen Curry | 35 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 10-of-16 | 6-of-10 |
| Kevin Durant | 25 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 8-of-15 | 4-of-6 |
| Klay Thompson | 18 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7-of-12 | 2-of-5 |
Los Angeles was short-handed without Chris Paul, although Rowan Kavner of the Clippers' official website noted the point guard has been medically cleared following surgery on his torn thumb ligament. Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers carried the backcourt load without him with 19 points apiece, and DeAndre Jordan added a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Jordan could only do so much by himself on the boards, and the Warriors enjoyed a 53-38 rebounding advantage.
Curry reminded everyone why he is a two-time MVP in his first quarter since the All-Star break with 13 points and three steals on the way to a 31-24 lead. However, the score was the least of Golden State's first-quarter concerns because Durant took a hard fall, forcing trainers to examine his hand.
He remained in the game in the immediate aftermath but eventually went to the locker room. Fortunately for the Warriors, they announced X-rays on Durant's pinky contusion were negative, and he returned in the second.
With Durant temporarily sidelined, the Clippers exploded for a 15-0 run thanks to multiple baskets from Marreese Speights and Crawford.
Perhaps the visitors were motivated by Green's cold-blooded trash-talking of Paul Pierce and leg swing toward Griffin:
The Clippers let their second-quarter play do the talking, and Rivers drilled multiple threes and found Jordan for an alley-oop after picking Curry's pocket. The stretch gave them a commanding 61-49 halftime advantage.
ESPN Stats & Info underscored how uncharacteristic the quarter was for Golden State:
It didn't take long for the Warriors to climb back into the game behind Durant's shooting, but Green picked up a technical foul for screaming at the officials. He even briefly yelled at Steve Kerr when the head coach attempted to calm him down.
Golden State's bench was assessed a technical for celebrating a Durant three, but the home team was fully energized by that point. Zaza Pachulia's layup gave it the lead again after Durant scored 11 straight for his team.
Matt Moore of CBS Sports commented on the spurt:
"Warriors decided at halftime they wanted to beat the Clippers again.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) February 24, 2017"
Durant was in full-on destruction mode in the high-energy third quarter, although Jordan answered his rim-rattling dunk with one of his own:
Curry got in on the third-quarter fun for Golden State and connected on a four-point play and a contested buzzer-beater three to give his team a 99-87 lead heading into the fourth.
The Warriors poured in an absurd 50 points in the third quarter after scoring 49 in the entire first half. NBA analyst Nate Duncan put the head-turning performance into perspective:
Golden State ended the Clippers' hopes of remaining competitive early in the fourth by continuing its offensive onslaught with 12 of the first 15 points. Los Angeles never threatened from there, as the Warriors continued their supremacy against the Clippers.
Postgame Reaction
Kerr discussed the incident involving Green, per Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News:
Kerr commented on how Curry and Thompson got their legs back during the time off, per Slater: "The All-Star break was great for Steph and Klay."
Durant was asked if he had ever participated in a 50-point quarter and responded, per Slater, "Yeah. Sunday. The All-Star Game."
On the other side, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said he was more upset with his team's offense than defense during the third quarter, per J.A. Adande of ESPN.com.
Austin Rivers commented on yet another loss to Golden State, per Adande: "The other games they just beat us. Tonight we beat ourselves."
What's Next?
The Warriors host the 9-47 Brooklyn Nets on Saturday and will likely continue rolling against the team with the league's worst record.
Things don't get much easier for the Clippers, who host the 43-13 San Antonio Spurs on Friday.
