The Warriors won their fifth-straight game to open the season, earning a 112-108 victory over the Clippers.
GAME LEADERS
It was a lot closer than the last one, but a win is a win. The Warriors won their fifth-straight game to open the season on Wednesday night, earning a 112-108 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers. Stephen Curry scored a game-high 31 points, including 13 in the decisive fourth quarter, his fourth game of the season with at least 30 points. The victory moves the Warriors’ record to 5-0, as they are now the only undefeated team in the Western Conference. They’ll look to remain perfect when they play their next game on Friday night against the Denver Nuggets at Oracle Arena.
Curry had a much better ending to the game than he did a beginning, as the reigning MVP picked up two fouls in a span of six seconds just 2:45 into the game, forcing him to the bench. The Clippers looked like they might take advantage of Curry’s absence, opening up two separate four point leads, but the Warriors battled back. After Los Angeles took a 23-19 lead with 4:19 remaining in the opening frame, the Warriors went on a 12-2 run to take a 31-25 lead into the second quarter. Once Curry re-entered the game, the Dubs took off. After the Clippers scored the opening basket of the quarter, the Warriors went on a 15-2 run, the final nine points of which came by way of Curry. That burst put the Warriors up 46-29 with 7:56 remaining in the first half, which turned out to be their largest lead of the game. From there, Los Angeles clawed their way back, using an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to single digits, as the two sides headed into halftime with Golden State holding a 63-56 advantage.
The Warriors maintained the seven-point advantage halfway through the third quarter, but that’s when the Clippers made their run. Using an 11-2 burst, Los Angeles reclaimed their first lead of the game since the opening quarter at 79-77, and they’d head into the final frame leading the Warriors 83-82. It was the first time this season the Warriors entered the fourth quarter trailing their opposition. The Clippers lead would reach its apex with 7:56 remaining in regulation, as Los Angeles used a 10-2 run to put themselves up 97-87. Then, Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson re-entered the game, and began to bring the Warriors back. 10 consecutive points from Harrison Barnes brought the Dubs within one point at 98-97, and then Curry took over. His fifth three-pointer of the game with 5:32 remaining gave the Warriors the lead at 100-99, and began a streak in which he scored 13 consecutive points for Golden State. The final two points of that streak came by way of free throws that put the Warriors up four points with less than 20 seconds remaining in the game. From there, two more free throws and a block from Klay Thompson sealed the victory, as the Warriors became the first team in 19 years to begin consecutive seasons with a 5-0 record.
Golden State will look to make it six wins in a row to begin the season when they take on the visiting Denver Nuggets on Friday night at Oracle Arena.