LOS ANGELES
Eric Gordon had trouble finding his shot in the first half, so the rookie talked himself out of repeating those woes the rest of the game.
Zach Randolph had 27 points and 11 rebounds, Gordon also had 27 points and the Los Angeles Clippers snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Golden State Warriors 118-105 on Monday night.
Gordon had a career-high six 3-pointers and has scored 21-plus points in each of his last five games for the Clippers, who beat the Warriors for the first time since Nov. 2, 2007.
He was 3-for-10 and managed to score only 10 points before halftime.
“I just motivated myself. That’s what I needed to do,” Gordon said.
“I just had to knock down shots. I didn’t hit that many shots in the first half, so I had to come out and make something happen.”
That he did.
Gordon had 17 second-half points and knocked down five treys, including two critical 3-pointers down the stretch.
Baron Davis, a former Warrior, added 25 points and 10 assists for the Clippers, who were without starter Al Thornton, missing his second game of the season with a right foot injury.
“B.D. was going to do his thing. He controlled the game. He told me he shot those backboard shots on purpose,” Stephen Jackson said.
Jackson had 28 points and C.J. Watson added 16 for the Warriors.
“We weren’t very good. We didn’t deserve to win,” Golden State coach Don Nelson said.
“Baron Davis had a nice game and he came ready to work.”
The Clippers started the fourth period ahead by eight, but the Warriors cut the lead to three when Jackson hit a 3-pointer with 7:02 remaining.
But the Clippers kept hitting their 3s.
Gordon had two consecutive treys – one at the 5:54 mark – and Davis hit an uncontested 3-pointer with 1:09 left to make it 114-102.
“He (Gordon) doesn’t surprise me at all. He is a super talent and he’s a kid that is going to continue to get better in this league,” Davis said.
Randolph, back from a two-game suspension for punching a player, was a late addition to the starting lineup because he had been visiting his ailing father in Indianapolis.
His post presence, along with Marcus Camby, added a boost for the Clippers.
“It was nice having our two big guys back in our lineup tonight,” Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. It was a great game for us to build on.”
Fred Jones provided a spark off the bench for the Clippers in the third quarter, contributing two high-flying dunks and eight points in that quarter. The Clippers also got help from Gordon, who helped Los Angeles score seven points within 1:12 in the period.
Jones had a driving slam dunk and Gordon added an uncontested 3-pointer from the bottom left of the key to put the hosts ahead 78-64.
The Warriors went on a 17-2 run midway through the first quarter behind Jackson’s eight points. Jackson sparked the spurt by hitting two free throws and Jamal Crawford added an uncontested jumper from the right side of the key with 4:19 left to give Golden State a 25-11 lead.
But the Clippers surged back and led at the half, 60-55. Los Angeles capped a 15-2 run to end the first quarter behind two 3-pointers from Davis and one time-expiring trey from Camby. Gordon chipped in eight second-quarter points and Randolph added seven to give the Clippers the lead.
But Jackson’s scoring was cut off in the second half. He was limited to eight points and was 2-for-6 from the field.
“We just kept him off the boards and kept him outside,” Davis said. “Most importantly, though, we started paying attention.”
The Warriors shot 52 percent in the first half, including Jackson’s 20 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Notes:
Thornton is listed as day to day with a right foot injury. “He tried it out and just couldn’t push off his foot,” Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said before the game. “Once he gets to that point, we’ll see.” … Clippers center Chris Kaman (strained arch) could be out for another two weeks. Kaman originally injured his foot on Nov. 26 and has had the flu for the last three days.
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Story by Solange Reyner, AP Sports Writer
