After finishing the first half of the season on a three-game losing slide, the Golden State Warriors had the opportunity to hit the reset button in a tilt against the Los Angeles Clippers following the All-Star break. Yet, the Warriors picked up right where they left off in the first half of the season, registering an ugly blowout loss to the Clippers at Staples Center., 130-104.
While Kawhi Leonard notched a game-high 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field with nine boards, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes, the Warriors failed to have a player record over 15 or more points.
Seven different Warriors tallied double-figure scoring efforts with Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins leading the way with 15 points each.
The Warriors will get two days off before heading to the mountains for another tough battle against the Western Conference-leading Utah Jazz. Here are three things to know from Golden State’s 26-point loss in Southern California.
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Second and third quarters
After trading buckets in the first quarter, the Clippers exploded against the Warriors before halftime. While the Warriors only recorded 17 points in the second quarter, the Clippers extended their lead to 16 points heading into halftime. Tyron Lue’s bench unit took over during the second quarter, combining for 22 of the Clippers’ 31 points.
The Clippers continued to apply pressure out of halftime with a dominant performance in the third quarter, blitzing the Warriors by 20 points in the period. Paul George added 12 of his 17 total points to help outscore the Warriors 45-25 in the third quarter.
Following the second and third quarters, the Clippers built a commanding 36 point lead heading into the final 12 minutes of the contest.
Steph Curry fired up
After catching fire in the 3-point shootout and for Team LeBron during the All-Star break in Atlanta, Steph Curry was limited to only 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the field. The two-time Most Valuable Player couldn’t get into a rhythm from beyond the arc, hitting only one triple on eight attempts from deep.
Despite his quiet performance, Curry was animated on the sideline, trying to rally the Warriors against the Clippers.
Via @NBCSWarriors on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1370235049317130247?s=20
James Wiseman benched
Over the All-Star break, James Wiseman mistakenly missed a COVID-19 test, forcing the rookie to miss practice prior to Golden State’s tilt with Los Angeles. Although he was able to play against the Clippers, the Warriors benched the second-overall pick for the first three quarters at Staples Center on Thursday night.
After checking into the game in the fourth quarter, Wiseman responded to his benching with a charged effort. The 19-year-old tallied 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field with seven boards in only 12 minutes. Wiseman showed off his range, stepping out for a triple during his fourth-quarter run.
To stay pace with Rudy Gobert and the Jazz frontcourt on Sunday, the Warriors will need Wiseman to build off his fourth-quarter effort in Hollywood.
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