By shooting the Crypto.com Arena lights out and keying their defense on Stephen Curry in the second half, the Clippers handed the Warriors their third loss in their past four games.
Curry torched Los Angeles in the first half, but didn’t get enough help from his teammates. Terance Mann, Reggie Jackson and Ivica Zubac led a Clippers offense that shot 56.5% and made 15 of 34 3-pointers. LA built a lead as high as 25 and ran away with the game.
After Golden State’s 119-104 loss in LA, the Warriors (42-16) have one more game before the All-Star Break. And with Draymond Green still sidelined and the Warriors skidding, it feels like they need a vacation as much as anyone.
Here are three takeaways from GSW’s loss.
Curry, feeling it
Stephen Curry had himself his best shooting night of 2022, with no other game really even contending with it.
It was all working for Curry. One-handed runners in the lane, stepbacks, handoffs, off-balance, in rhythm. Everything.
Curry hit eight of his first nine shots to start the game, including six of his seven 3s. His one miss, too, was halfway down the cup before popping out.
Since Draymond Green went out with his L5-S1 disc injury, Curry has taken on more of a floor general role than usual. It’s what the team has needed, and his shift in approach led to Golden State’s nine-game winning streak.
But Monday, he was gunning. In the first half, Curry dropped 26 points on 11 shots in 14 minutes. He did it without recording an assist.
At one point, he split a double team with a behind-the-back dribble as smooth as a slick bowling ball for a runner. His sixth 3-pointer came off a Kevon Looney ball screen, forcing Ivica Zubac to come out. The plodding seven-footer didn’t challenge nearly high enough, but he wouldn’t have been able to move his feet quickly enough if Curry decided to blow by him. That high pick-and-roll action put Zubac in an impossible position, and allowed Curry to rain fire.
Earlier, Curry drilled a 3 over Zubac off a Looney handoff. Zubac’s contest then was much better, but Curry put air on the high-arcing shot even as he contorted his body falling away from the basket.
Curry looked noticeably springier on his jumpers. His lower half was lively, with more lift and balance from his base giving his shots enough juice.
To start the second half, though, Curry got elbowed in the mouth by Terance Mann. He missed his next four shots, including a wide open look from deep in transition. The Clippers double-teamed him off screens and tracked him much better off the ball, forcing him to give it up.
LAC’s strategy worked. Though Curry still finished with a game-high 33 points on 11-for-18 shooting (eight of 13 from deep), the other Warriors weren’t able to step up.
Another big bullies Dubs
As big of an edge the Warriors found by putting Zubac in high pick-and-rolls, the Clippers had as strong or an even stronger edge on the other end with the seven-footer.
When the Warriors tried to trap Reggie Jackson off ball screens, Zubac consistently made great reads on the short roll. It’s a familiar position for Warriors fans, who have seen Draymond Green pick apart defenses in 4-on-3 situations for years.
Zubac’s decision-making was impressive. And he also used his size whenever he wanted to. He took Jonathan Kuminga down into the post, finishing easily with a drop-step for an and-1. He powered through multiple defenders for a third quarter slam.
And Zubac made the undersized Warriors pay on the boards, too. He opened the game with a tip in, followed up his own miss for a putback, and added another second-chance bucket later. He finished with four offensive rebounds to go with 18 points and eight boards in 23 minutes.
Zubac is just the latest traditional center to punish Golden State. In the past week, Hassan Whiteside recorded 17 rebounds and seven blocks against GSW. Darius Bazley went for 20 and 8. Julius Randle dropped 28 and 16.
Dealing with bigs has been a struggle for the Warriors without Draymond Green. They didn’t make a move at the deadline, a gamble that will only pay off if Green and James Wiseman can come back healthy enough to seriously contribute down the stretch. If not, teams with physical frontcourts will have success against Golden State when it matters most.
Defensive woes carry on
Steve Kerr hasn’t been thrilled with his team’s defense. He’s reiterated as much recently, including after Golden State’s win over the Lakers.
The transition defense has been subpar, Kerr has said. The Warriors haven’t been as “connected” as they should be, he added. They’ve been susceptible to back-cuts and have had a string of alarming defensive rebounding performances.
Without Green, there’s no superstar defender to clean up everyone else’s messes. That raises the onus on everyone else to focus, stay disciplined and lock into their assignments.
Golden State couldn’t prevent Terance Mann from getting downhill at the point of attack. They struggled to contain Zubac inside. Los Angeles’ relentless ball movement forced them into rotations that always felt a beat behind.
The Clippers entered the fourth quarter sitting on 94 points. In the game, they shot 56.5% from the field and 44.1% from deep. Part of it was certainly elite shot making, but Golden State’s defense wasn’t up for the test.
