The Warriors were in cruise control the entire game in their 115-98 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
In what was supposed to be a highly contested matchup, Golden State stepped on the throats of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan at the Staples Center.
Draymond Green led an offensive domination with 22 points on 8/10 shooting, Klay Thompson scored 24 points, Steph Curry added 19 and the Warriors barely needed Kevin Durant in a 17-point victory.
It’s the assists that are starting to separate the Warriors (19-3) from the rest of the league. If the season ended today, Golden State would be averaging the most assists in NBA history. On Wednesday, they added another 32, showcasing an entire lineup with gifted passing skills. The Warriors had just eight turnovers heading into the fourth quarter. They are in complete control.
The Clippers did cut the lead to seven in late in the second quarter, but they were quickly shoved back in their place. The Warriors only shot a measly 24.1 percent from downtown, a testament to how well they are spacing the basketball court to find easy looks. Durant had one of his worst games as a Warrior (16 points on 5/17 shooting), and the score was still this out of control.
How? Defense.
Curry went 0/8 from the three-point line but produced an incredible 7 steals, Green scored a heavy portion of his points on wide open dunks, and all of this with the Clippers on two nights of rest. They don’t look like nearly the threat they did a month ago. Jamal Crawford was the only opposing player keeping the game close, finishing with a team-high 21 points. Griffin committed 7 turnovers.
It was the Warriors’ seventh straight win over the Clippers and they’ll travel to Utah tomorrow.
