https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/klay-thompson-warriors-bench-win-clippers/1677155/

What we learned as Klay, Warriors bench lead way in win vs. Clippers

By Dalton Johnson

• Published November 30, 2023

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors made sure to do everything in their power
to prevent another giant lead from slipping away two nights after their
epic collapse to the Kings. Leading by as many as 18 points Thursday
night at Chase Center, the Warriors held off the Los Angeles Clippers
and came out on top, 120-114.

Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green enjoyed a night where the
date already was celebrating the Warriors’ Big Three. The legendary trio
combined to score 61 points to get the Warriors within one win of being
back to .500.

But Golden State’s victory was about the collective whole, and playing a
much smarter brand of basketball. The Warriors saw seven players score
in double figures – four being starters and three coming from the bench.

They handed out 30 assists for the sixth time this season, and had 11
fewer turnovers than their most recent loss.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors improving to 9-10 on the season.

11/30/23

Numerically, the day belonged to two of the best shooters in basketball
history and one of the game’s greatest defensive players. So of course
Green (eight points) was Golden State’s leading scorer after the first
quarter, sinking two 3-pointers, as well as making both his free throws.
Thompson racked up seven points in the opening frame, and Curry was at
six – making both his tries from deep.

It appeared Thursday night’s matchup between two California foes was
going to be another tough shooting night for Thompson. Entering the
fourth quarter, Thompson had made only four of his 13 shots and was 1 of
5 beyond the arc. Then came the most important minutes of the night.

Thompson scored 10 straight points in the first three-plus minutes of
the fourth quarter, scoring from long range and muscling up on the
Clippers.

Curry finished as the Warriors’ top scorer, giving them 26 points on
8-of-15 shooting to go with eight assists and seven rebounds. Thompson
tallied 24 points on 8-of-18 shooting, giving him 20 or more points in
four of his last five games. Green scored 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting,
and also had five rebounds and five assists, setting his teammates up
and disrupting the Clippers’ offense.

Next Man Up

Down Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul and Gary Payton II to injuries, several
Warriors had to step into some big shoes in front of Dub Nation. The
biggest opportunity was given to Moses Moody, who was inserted into the
starting lineup after being inexplicably taken out in the fourth quarter
while on a heater against the Kings two nights prior.

Moody entered the night a perfect 8-of-8 shooting and 4 of 4 on 3-point
attempts over his previous two games. His shooting started off slow this
time around, missing his first four shot attempts before finishing
strong against Leonard.

In his third start of the season, the same amount he was given over 63
regular-season games a year ago, Moody made his next six shots and ended
the night having 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

The Warriors’ roster being thin also meant more playing time for rookie
Brandin Podziemski. Immediately, the 20-year-old’s impact was felt.
Podziemski did a bit of everything in the first half, and his 10 points
had him tied for being the Warriors’ leading scorer. Podziemski in the
first half was a plus-16 in 14 minutes off the bench, going 4 of 5 from
the field, draining each of his two 3-pointers, and he came down with
three rebounds.

One game after receiving a DNP (Did Not Play), Podziemski nearly had a
double-double, scoring 13 points and snatching eight rebounds.. He also
wasn’t alone in rising to the occasion.

Jonathan Kuminga deserves ample credit for an outstanding performance.
Kuminga was a game-high plus-15 behind 17 points, six rebounds and three
assists.

Keeping It Simple

Basketball, like the game of life, becomes much easier when mistakes are
minimized. The Warriors were reminded the hard way in Sacramento when
their 20 turnovers led to 26 Kings points, and Golden State was whistled
for 31 fouls, leading to 42 Kings free throw attempts and 27 points at
the line. The first quarter looked like lessons were learned.

The Warriors in the first 12 minutes of the game committed two turnovers
and were whistled for two fouls, one of which didn’t sit well with Curry.

Costly mistakes continued to come few and far between for the home team.
They turned the ball over twice in the second quarter, three times in
the third and two in the fourth. They were hit with five fouls in the
second quarter, but six in the third and five in the fourth.

The Clippers scored 11 points off turnovers and had 18 points at the
free throw line, a major difference from what the Warriors allowed the
Kings to do.