LOS ANGELES (AP) — Even in the thick of it Stephen Curry hosted 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.”
Curry posted 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.”
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 layup by Clippers.
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 with Memphis. Dillon Brooks for most technicians 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.”
On the subsequent ride down the floor, Mark 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.”
Here’s more about the Clippers
Brunson is out, Leonard scores 38 points, Clippers surpasses Knicks 106-95 Three things to know: Dončić, Durant, Zion, injuries dominate playoffs in the west… NBA Power Rankings: Bucks Remain Top, Knicks Climb to Third
Watch Stephen Curry drop 50, it’s not enough to beat Clippers on the street originally appeared on NBCSports.com
Source : sports.yahoo.com