Warriors guard Stephen Curry dribbled his way through the
defense for a layup. Next thing Curry knew, his shot was pinned to
the backboard. Six seconds later, the same guy who blocked it was
soaring for a dunk at the other end. And it wasn’t even Blake
Griffin. It was rookie forward Al-Farouq Aminu. His gasp-inducing
sequence underscored how the Clippers’ energy and athleticism
overwhelmed the Warriors in Los Angeles’ 105-91 victory at Staples
Center on Sunday. Playing in their first afternoon game this
season, the Warriors were a half-a-step slow all game.
Kyte.Embed.path=”http://media.kyte.tv”;Kyte.Embed.altpath=”http://www.kyte.tv”;window.kyteplayer=new Kyte.Player(“”,{appKey:”default”,width:320,height:260,p:”s”,s:1127487,tbid:”21″});
LOS ANGELES
Warriors guard Stephen Curry dribbled his way through the defense for a layup. Next thing Curry knew, his shot was pinned to the backboard. Six seconds later, the same guy who blocked it was soaring for a dunk at the other end.
And it wasn’t even Blake Griffin.
It was rookie forward Al-Farouq Aminu. His gasp-inducing sequence underscored how the Clippers’ energy and athleticism overwhelmed the Warriors in Los Angeles’ 105-91 victory at Staples Center on Sunday. Playing in their first afternoon game this season, the Warriors were a half-a-step slow all game.
Not helping matters, the Warriors committed 19 turnovers and 32 fouls, preventing them from developing any rhythm.
“The turnovers were real lethargic,” Warriors coach Keith Smart said. “We didn’t have the energy level that you need to win on the road. . . .We played just flat and turned the ball over, so we didn’t have a chance.”
Especially on the front line, the Warriors could do nothing with the size, strength, athleticism and pep of the Clippers.
Griffin finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Center DeAndre Jordan, another freakish athlete who was recently inserted into the starting lineup, had nine points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.
The Warriors’ counterparts, center Andris Biedrins and forward David Lee, finished with a combined total of eight points (all by Lee) on 2-for-7 shooting with nine rebounds, no blocks and 12 fouls.
Golden State’s high-powered backcourt sputtered severely. Curry and guard Monta Ellis combined for 21 points on 6-for-32 shooting (18.8 percent). Conversely, the Clippers’ backcourt—Baron Davis and Eric Gordon—totaled 42 points on 13-for-30 shooting.
About the only Warriors’ player who outplayed his man was forward Dorell Wright, who finished with a game-high 27 points, including five 3-pointers.
“Not our best game,” Lee said. “Other than Dorell, nobody shot the ball particularly well. €¦ But that’s going to happen on the road. We’ve just got to go steal one against the Lakers now (Wednesday in Oakland) after losing one we shouldn’t have.”
Despite their struggles shooting the ball and with turnovers, Golden State trailed just 49-46 with 3:15 left in the first half after center Dan Gadzuric’s persistence on a tip-in. But Los Angeles closed the half with a 13-2 run, capped by a pull-up 3-pointer in transition by Davis. The Warriors trailed 62-48.
Still, one of their trademark third-quarter runs could have gotten them back in the game. And it was, after all, the Clippers they were playing.
But the Warriors never got their engines going. The Clippers, who now have won 7 of 10, didn’t allow the Warriors to get closer than 12. Golden State trailed by 18 entering the fourth quarter.
“We had several guys in foul trouble,” Smart said, “so those guys didn’t have a chance to get into a rhythm. €¦ The rhythm of the game is very fluid, and if you’re sitting on the bench, and you can’t get in the game and play real aggressive, then it’s going to be hard for you to compete in a game like this.”
Midway through the fourth quarter, Davis drove to the rim and found one of his big men on the baseline, a couple steps outside the paint. The Clipper player exploded to the rim too fast for Lee, who couldn’t do anything but offer a shove to the stomach, setting up a three-point play.
No, it wasn’t Griffin. It was Ike Diogu.
Having fouled out, Lee tossed the ball to the ref and walked straight to the bench.
— Story by Marcus Thompson II, Contra Costa Times
