GAME LEADERS
The Warriors tipped off their preseason with a 112-94 road win over the Clippers tonight at Staples Center. Klay Thompson led seven Warriors players in double figures with 20 points while David Lee added 13 points and nine boards in the exhibition lid lifter.
The first preseason game in the tenure of Head Coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors were effective in sharing the basketball. Twelve of the 14 players who saw the court for the Dubs tallied at least one assist, and the team finished with 25 assists.
After a sluggish start to the game, the Warriors began clicking in the second quarter. And in a twist from the 2013-14 season, the Dubs’ second unit was mostly responsible in changing the momentum. A lineup of Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, Leandro Barbosa and Ognjen Kuzmic joined the lone starter Andre Iguodala and went on a 9-0 run to put the Warriors back in front after trailing by as many as seven points.
The Warriors took a four-point lead into the half and then Thompson simply took over in the third period. Thompson scored 12 of his 20 in the period, including an emphatic two-handed slam that initiated a 3-point play.