Stephen Curry Drops 38 as Kevin Durant, Warriors Dominate Clippers in Game 1
Stephen Curry posted 38 points on 11-of-16 shooting, 15 rebounds and seven assists as the No. 1 seed Golden State Warriors beat the No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers 121-104 on Saturday in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series at Oracle Arena.
Curry also broke former NBA guard Ray Allen's record for the most three-point field goals in NBA playoff history after making eight on Saturday for a career total of 386. He also set a career-high on the glass.
Warriors forward Kevin Durant added 23 points and four rebounds.
Montrezl Harrell led the Clippers with 26 points off the bench, and Lou Williams contributed 25 points and nine assists.
Hamptons Five Lineup Will Prove Invincible Again This Postseason
In 2016, a Golden State contingent including Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala visited free agent Kevin Durant in the Hamptons on Long Island.
That group became known as the Hamptons Five, or the Death Lineup. The combination has proven to be invincible since it formed: The Warriors have won two titles and lost just one home playoff game since Durant joined the team.
This year is no exception to that lineup's multi-year success.
According to NBA.com, the Hamptons Five has the highest net rating in the league among lineups that have played at least 100 regular-season minutes together.
That mark stands as 29.1 for the Warriors' quintet, and a sizable gap exists between them and a Denver Nuggets' crew who sits second at 24.9.
If Saturday is any indication, we'll see more of the same this spring.
The Warriors led 38-27 early in the second quarter but quickly saw their lead disappear after Williams and Harrell led Los Angeles on a run. Golden State retook a 43-42 advantage with 6:44 left in the second quarter, but head coach Steve Kerr decided to call in some reinforcements.
Golden State proceeded to outscore the Clippers 17-11 over the next 5:09 to give itself a 60-53 edge. Los Angeles was unable to cut the deficit to fewer than six points for the remainder of the game.
As Anthony Slater of The Athletic noted, the Hamptons Five has been on a roll during the 2019 calendar year:
Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle pointed out that the Clippers have encountered issues with this lineup, which could create more problems for L.A. in this series:
Nick Friedell of ESPN noted that the Hamptons Five should be featured more in the postseason at pivotal moments:
Ultimately, all NBA defenses should encounter problems with a unit whose fantastic chemistry can lead to smooth buckets like this:
The Warriors have won just one of 16 playoff games needed to earn an NBA championship, but early returns suggest the Hamptons Five will once again play a pivotal part in a Golden State title.
Lou Williams Proving Why He's Easy Choice for Sixth Man of the Year
Williams ended any possible doubt that he should be the Sixth Man of the Year this season after a stellar Saturday performance.
He went an efficient 11-of-21 from the field for 25 points. He also paced the Clips with three buckets and an assist during a 15-2 run that put L.A. up 42-40 early in the second quarter.
Take a look at this one, for instance:
How many reserve guards are that smooth and crafty? Are any in Williams' league?
Furthermore, Sweet Lou has excellent court vision, like when he threw a bounce pass through Warriors forward Kevon Looney's legs to Harrell for an easy two.
Williams looks like one of the best offensive players in the league at times, which is a huge boost to his Sixth Man of the Year candidacy.
But there isn't much debate on the award front: Per Oddschecker, Williams is the top favorite to win his third Sixth Man of the Year award by a long shot.
A few numbers help explain why.
First, Williams is first among qualified reserves with a 21.2 player efficiency rating, according to Basketball-Reference. A few players above him (Portland Trail Blazers big man Enes Kanter and Los Angeles Lakers center JaVale McGee) have come off the bench, but neither has been a full-time reserve like Williams this season.
Second, he's the only current NBA bench player who leads his present team in scoring. Granted, Tobias Harris was technically the Clips' leading scorer this year, but he's now a Philadelphia 76er. Williams paces the present-day Clippers with 20.0 points in just 26.6 minutes per game.
Third, Williams is arguably the most valuable player on a Western Conference postseason team, and that's a prestigious distinction given the league's strength.
There's a significant difference in power between the West and East, where three teams made the playoffs with 42-40 records or worse. The Clippers were the West's last seed at 48-34.
Fourteen of 15 West teams were also 33-49 or better. Five East teams were under 33-49 this season.
In other words, Williams went through a gauntlet to help lead the Clips to the playoffs.
As far as opponent respect goes, Williams has that in bunches. For example, check out the words the Warriors used to describe Williams, per the San Francisco Chronicle:
Williams isn't without competition. Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis had 14.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Derrick Rose scored 18.0 points per night, and Harrell has been excellent in his own right with 16.6 points and 6.5 rebounds.
However, Williams is the heart and soul of a team that finished 14 games above .500. He's the NBA's top reserve without question.
What's Next?
Golden State will host Los Angeles for Game 2 on Monday at 10:30 p.m. ET.
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