Rowan Kavner
SAN FRANCISCO – History needs to be reversed tonight if the Clippers are to come out with a win on the road against the Warriors.
The Clippers finished off the Warriors in a seven-game playoff series last season, but the home team has won each of the last seven regular-season games in this matchup, and the Clippers will be facing an undefeated Warriors squad that’s off to its best start in 20 years.
"They're playing like a team on a mission,” guard Chris Paul said after Monday’s game against the Jazz. “They've got a lot of people back, they're sharing the ball, moving the ball. We already know after the playoffs last year it's going to be a fun environment on Wednesday."
Speaking of Warriors players coming back, tonight could be the regular-season debut of forward David Lee, who’s been out the first three games with a hamstring injury. The Warriors are coming off two days of rest, allowing Lee to improve from questionable to probable the day of the game.
Even before Lee was upgraded to probable, Clippers guard Jamal Crawford – who played with Lee in New York for three and a half seasons – figured that’d be the case.
“I know David, and I’m not sure he’s out until that buzzer starts,” Crawford said. “So we’ll see. He’s been known to make an appearance.”
Crawford himself has been dealing with an issue of his own. A rib injury held him out one game before returning Monday against the Jazz and proceeding to surpass the 15,000 career-point mark. Crawford said he woke up the next morning and the pain wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be, and it wasn’t any worse than when he was playing in the game.
The hardest part in his return from the injury is getting going. The pain can be triggered by just about anything, from a cough or a laugh to bending down in the wrong direction, but he should be good to go for tonight. Crawford said the Clippers haven’t played like he thought they would coming out of last year, but he’s pleased they’re finding ways to win while learning about themselves.
Tonight will be one of the biggest tests for the Clippers going against a Warriors squad that’s got the best points per game differential, averaging 15.4 more points than their opponents a game.
“I’m sure they’re juiced about it, and for us, it’s a division game, so we definitely want to win it,” Crawford said. “I think it’ll be a fun game tonight.”
As many weapons as Golden State has offensively, the Warriors’ defense shouldn’t be overlooked. They’re allowing opponents to shoot just 39.5 percent from the field, which leads the league.
One of the main focuses for the Clippers, who’ve watched double-digit leads slip away early in the year, will be maintaining their play better than they have in the past.
"That won't cut it at all against really good teams like Golden State and teams like that,” Griffin said. “You can't have a bad quarter, you can't have a bad half a quarter. We need to do a really good job of taking care of the ball, get a lead, maintain that lead and just keep doing the things that make us successful."
Notes → Click here for full game notes
- Two of the league’s top three leaders in points per game will face off tonight in Klay Thompson and Griffin. Thompson leads the league with 29.7 points per game, while Griffin is third with 27.5 points per game.
- Wednesday’s game will also feature two players in the top five in steals per game in Stephen Curry (3.67) and Paul (2.75).
- Paul recorded a triple-double last game and is the only player in the NBA with one this year. He’s got 40 assists and just three turnovers to start the year.
- Both teams are in the top five in the league in forcing turnovers. The Clippers lead the league with a 2.16 assist-to-turnover ratio, while the Warriors are forcing the most turnovers in the NBA at 22.3 per game.
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