Although Thompson Is Excellent, The Warriors Lose Again In Los Angeles Despite A Valiant Second-Half Effort..
Klay Thompson scored a season-high 30 while hitting eight 3-pointers for Golden State…
LOS ANGELES With 28 points, 15 assists, and seven rebounds, James Harden recorded his 25,000th career point. Kawhi Leonard contributed 27 points and eight rebounds to the Los Angeles Clippers’ sixth straight victory, defeating the struggling Golden State Warriors 121-113 on Thursday.
Norman Powell scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Clippers, who overcame Paul George’s first injury absence of the season for their 11th win in 14 games. Los Angeles adroitly held off the Warriors’ late surge and improved to 5-0 at home in December.
Klay Thompson scored a season-high 30 while hitting eight 3-pointers for Golden State, which went 0-3 on its road trip and has lost 12 of 16 overall.
Stephen Curry scored 17 points on 5-of-17 shooting as the Warriors began another potentially lengthy stint without Draymond Green, who is indefinitely suspended after smacking Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic in the face on Tuesday.
Steve Kerr, the coach of the Warriors, stated, “I really liked our effort tonight.” “After all they’ve been through lately, I thought this team fought well. In the second half, they played much better and really came together. kept the ball in check, played disciplined defense, and gave ourselves a chance.
“Were unable to win but I like what I’m seeing and I think this team is going to turn it around.”
The Warriors have currently dropped 11 straight games at Crypto.com Arena between the regular season and postseason, as well as their matchups with the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers. As part of Golden State’s seven-game winning streak at the time, they defeated the Clippers 105-90 on November 28, 2021, in their final victory at the arena.
Kerr underlined the team’s support for Green’s suspension prior to kickoff, noting that the player will receive undisclosed assistance to deal with his growing history of misbehavior and excessively aggressive play. The defensive wizard and four-time NBA champion has already served four suspensions in 2023 alone.
George missed his first game of the season after injuring his left hip Tuesday against Sacramento. Coach Tyronn Lue didn’t appear to believe the injury would be a long-term problem for the Clips’ second-leading scorer.
Both teams shook up their regular starting lineups due to key absences. Golden State promoted Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski to replace Green and Andrew Wiggins, while Amir Coffey moved into George’s starting role.
Podziemski had four points on 2-for-11 shooting in the rookie’s first career start, while Kuminga scored 15 points in his second start of the season.
Thompson is off to a quiet start, but the veteran sharpshooter put on a vintage performance in his native Southern California.
He hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter to keep the Warriors in it, but Curry and Thompson combined for 1-for-7 shooting in the fourth.
With seven straight road losses, including two this month against the Clippers, Chris Paul scored twelve points against his former team, the Warriors. In the second quarter, Paul was called for a Flagrant Foul 1 after he blocked out beneath the Clippers’ hoop and shoved Daniel Theis with both hands.
Harden became the 24th player in NBA history to score 25,000 points on a driving layup late in the third. The veteran has fit in quickly with the Clippers, shooting a strong percentage while adjusting his overall game to fit alongside Leonard and George.
George’s absence was a relatively rare injury setback this season for the Clippers, who have been largely healthy for the first time in the concurrent tenures of George and Leonard.
Leonard has played in every game after being injured or frequently rested throughout his previous Clippers seasons. George hasn’t played in more than 56 games in a season for LA.
The Clippers’ lead was cut to six points by Paul’s 32-footer at the end of the third quarter. The Warriors pulled within one early in the fourth quarter, but they then went three minutes without scoring.