OAKLAND – A normally heated rivalry turned out to be another easy win for the Golden State Warriors Saturday night, as they routed the Los Angeles Clippers 144-98.
Steve Kerr said before the game that he wasn’t sure if Stephen Curry would suit up tonight as he was nursing some quad tightness leading up to the game.
“I think so, but I haven’t talked to the training staff yet. Once he’s done with his warm-up we’ll know.”
Then Curry went out and scored 43 points on 9/15 shooting from deep and a 25-point third quarter to put theis game well beyond reach, if it wasn’t already at halftime.
The first half showed Steph looked pretty close to 100%, as he finished the first half with 18 points, including a deep half-court buzzer beater to put the Warriors up 72-51 going into the break.
Layup ? pic.twitter.com/NxEK4Y2o9R
— KNBR (@KNBR) January 29, 2017
Curry added 25 points, including 5 three-pointers, in the third quarter to put the Warriors up 117-74 going into the fourth. The Warriors scored an unbelievable 45 points in the quarter, their highest-scoring quarter of the season.
Overall, Steph finished the night with 43 points on 15/23 shooting, his second-best scoring performance of the season and third game this year with over 40 points.
The Warriors started out hot and attacked the basket against the Clippers talented frontcourt, finishing the first half with 42 of their 72 points coming in the paint. The team continued to be red hot throughout the half, shooting 62.5% from the field and 61.5% from 3.
Warriors scored 41 points in the second quarter, recording their league-best 12th 40-point frame of the season.
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) January 29, 2017
The Clippers were once again without the services of All-NBA point guard Chris Paul as he recovers from a torn ligament in his left thumb. Austin Rivers, son of Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, got the start at point guard. Rivers finished with 8 points on 2/8 shooting.
The team never really seemed to find their stride offensively, shooting under 43% from the field and an abysmal 55.6% from the free throw line.
Oracle Arena was chanting airball before the man even shot his free throw… pic.twitter.com/zct5XVkViv
— KNBR (@KNBR) January 29, 2017
Former Warrior big man Marreese Speights checked into the ballgame for LA with just under a minute left in the first quarter and received a vibrant cheer from the Golden State faithful. Steve Kerr called Speights “one of my favorite people I have ever been around” before the game, adding “We love Mo around here and we’re happy for him that he’s having a really good year with the Clippers.” Speights was an important piece off the bench during the Warriors 2015 championship run.
Blake Griffin paced the Clippers in scoring with 20 points on 9/14 shooting. They will next head to Phoenix to battle the Suns before returning home to face Golden State once again on February 2nd at Staples Center.
Andre Iguodala celebrated his 33rd birthday with a big win over the team’s de facto rival. Iguodala also recorded his 250th regular season appearance as a Warrior, finishing with nine points, six rebounds, and five assists. While it was yet another solid performance for Iguodala, it was far from his most productive game on his birthday. Back in 2012, Iguodala had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists for the Philadelphia 76ers, leading them to a win over Detroit.
Javale McGee provided plenty of energy for the Warriors bench unit, throwing down multiple emphatic dunks in the first half and finishing with nine points and three rebounds.