LOS ANGELES — Even with Stephen Curry hosting a shooting clinic in the third quarter, Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers stayed calm.
They were able to weather Curry’s best punches, maintain their lead, and then pulled away from the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter.
Leonard continued his hot game with 30 points, Paul George had 24 and the Clippers overcame Curry’s 50-point night to beat the Warriors 134-126 on Wednesday night.
“They know they’re going to make big runs, but we kept our composure, stayed steady and ran on offense,” said Leonard, who had his fourth 30-point attempt in the last eight games. He was 10 of 19 from the field and had eight rebounds and five assists.
The Clippers (37-33) have four straight wins to move up to fifth place in the Western Conference. The defending NBA champion Warriors (36-34) is a game behind as teams split the four-game season streak.
“We are not stagnant. We executed our shots,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “When a guy like that (Curry) explodes, we stuck to the game plan. I thought our offense really carried us.”
PHOTOS: Clippers beat Warriors 134-126 despite 50 points from Curry
Curry has set a season-high in points with the 12th 50-point game of his career. He was 20th of 28 and made eight 3-pointers.
“It’s nice to play and good to shoot. I expect to do that every night,” Curry said. “No matter what the stats are after the game, it’s just frustrating when you can’t get over your shoulder and find a way to win.”
Jordan Poole added 19 points for the Warriors. They’ve lost nine straight road games.
Curry had 21 points in the third quarter and hit three 3-pointers. He was 9 of 11 and had a stretch where he hit five shots in a row. Despite this, the Clippers took a 99-93 lead in the last 12 minutes.
Los Angeles held a three-point lead early in the fourth game before pulling away on a 10-1 run. Batum’s 3-pointers with 9:07 remaining put the Clippers at 109-97.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said one of the biggest keys in the game was the Clippers hitting 16 offensive rebounds and having a 27-11 advantage on second chance points.
“The way our squad is right now, we’re vulnerable on the glass,” Kerr said. “I thought the Clippers played a great game. Stephen was great. It was incredible to see him play tonight. It was a great, great game. We just fell short.”
KEY RACE
The Clippers trailed 70-66 three minutes into the third quarter and then scored 14 straight points to take a double-digit lead. Eric Gordon, who had 14 points in the quarter, scored the last eight during the run.
The Warriors countered with a 16-8 rally, including 12 from Curry, to get in a basket, but Leonard hit a 3-pointer on the next trip down to end the run.
NOT SO CUTE 16
Draymond Green received his 16th technical foul of the season with 40.8 seconds left when he threw the ball off Russell Westbrook’s face after a Clippers layup.
Players will be banned for one game once they reach the age of 16 in a season, and then will be banned for one game for every two additional technical fouls.
Green, who had eight points before his foul, is level on points with Memphis’ Dillon Brooks for most technical games in the NBA.
Green was optimistic he could avoid missing Friday night’s game in Atlanta.
“I expect some changes. I got a technical error this year because a referee yelled at me,” he said. “I said, ‘If I yell at you, I’ll get a fine.’ And I have a technique for that. So I think something will change.”
EJECTED
On the ensuing drive down, Marcus Morris Sr. received a flagrant 2 foul and was ejected with 31 seconds remaining in the first half.
Morris and Green were vying for position in the suit while Curry attempted a 3-pointer when it appeared Morris slapped Green in the face.
Referee Kevin Scott said on the ESPN show, “All the components (for a Flagrant 2) were met: pull-up, impact, execution over the shoulders, high risk of injury, and a non-basketball game.”
TIP ONE
Warrior: Klay Thompson had 15 points. … Green hit 4,400 career defensive rebounds in the second quarter.
Clippers: Ivica Zubac had 19 points and 16 rebounds. … Terance Mann scored 17 points off the bench and Gordon added 16.
NEXT
Warriors: In Atlanta on Friday night.
Clippers: host Orlando on Saturday.
Source : www.washingtontimes.com