Observations: Warriors blow another big lead, lose to Los Angeles Clippers
Golden State Warriors lose a 22-point lead to Los Angeles Clippers

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By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: December 2, 2023 at 3:38 p.m. | UPDATED: December 2, 2023 at
5:57 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/12/02/warriors-blow-another-big-lead-lose-to-los-angeles-clippers/

LOS ANGELES — The Warriors led until the final 8.9 seconds when Los
Angeles Clippers forward Paul George hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to hand
Golden State a 113-112 loss on Saturday afternoon.

The Warriors are now 9-11 and on a four-game road losing streak. But
head coach Steve Kerr saw more silver lining than cloud, even though his
team blew a lead of 20 points or more for the second time in a week.

Golden State coughed up a 24-point lead to Sacramento last Tuesday when
they were eliminated from the NBA’s In-Season Tournament.

Here are observations from a strong performance that went awry down the
stretch.

- Trouble keeping a lead

The Warriors had a 19-point lead at the half and a 22-point early in the
third quarter, as they stared down the path to a breezy win. But with
James Harden, George, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook, the Clippers
are built to erase big leads.

Harden took over, scoring 15 points in the third quarter to get them
back into it.

That said, Kerr didn’t mind the loss as much as the one in Sacramento.
The Kings shot 42 free throws and the Warriors made two costly turnovers
— Kerr’s big red flags — in a 124-123 Golden State loss.

Saturday, the Clippers shot 14 free throws and the Warriors turned the
ball over just 10 times.

“It was more them than us,” Kerr said of the loss. “I was really pleased
with the way we played. You got a talented team and they picked up the
pressure and kept us off the three-point line in the second half.

“To me, it felt like we deserved to win today. We took care of the ball,
we kept them off the foul line. We showed poise when they made their runs.”

Steph Curry had 16 points at the half, including an eight-point run to
close it with the Warriors shooting 54.5% from 3 on 22 attempts. The
flow stopped when the Clippers switched to a zone defense and took away
the 3, letting the Clippers stars chip away. Curry went 1-for-10 and the
Warriors 15-for-44 in the second half.

Green sees Golden State’s blown leads as indications that the crew
hasn’t learned to win together or close games consistently quite yet.
Chris Paul and Green’s absences thus far have kept them off course, he says.

“We’ve got to learn how to win,” Green said. “Every year, groups are
different. And each year, that particular group has to learn to win. And
that’s been tested a bit, especially with guys out. (Paul) is a key cog
when it comes to winning, so we have to figure that out and I have no
doubt that we will,”

- Draymond Green’s 3-point shooting

Green woke up a sleepy crowd with four 3-pointers in the first quarter,
tying the most he’s had in one quarter since January of 2016. His 12
points were the most he’s scored in a quarter this season and his
biggest total since he had 18 in that game against the Nuggets nearly
eight years ago.

Green finished with a season-high 21 points but missed the open corner 3
at the buzzer that would have won the game — he thinks Westbrook got a
piece of it on its way up.

Teams will leave Green open beyond the arc because he’s a 31.7% career
3-point shooter. But he can give the Warriors a boost when he can take
advantage of that space and knock down shots.

“Feels great,” Green said of his shot. “I just try to shoot it with
confidence on the ones that are there. Not overthinking it. I put a lot
of work on my shot, so I think the main thing for me is just going into
shooting it when it’s there.”

In 12 games, Green is shooting 47.2% on three attempts per game on
average. Keeping defenses a little honest like he did on Saturday — and
he did a good amount in the earlier part of his career — gives the
Warriors’ offense an added dynamic.

- Starting lineup change

Andrew Wiggins missed his second straight game nursing an injured index
finger on his shooting hand, giving Moses Moody another shot in the
starting lineup. Dario Saric got the start in place of Kevon Looney to
help with spacing on the floor.

The change gave Golden State a spark from the tip. Similar to their win
against Los Angeles on Thursday, the Warriors played with more pace and
energy than in previous games — despite the loss.

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- Improved defense

Despite the Clippers’ comeback, it’s clear getting Green back has
tightened up the Warriors’ defense and lessened some of the
communication-related mistakes they were prone to through their losing
streak. Through their two wins, they’ve held off any big scoring games
by one of the Clippers’ many stars.

The Clippers’ style plays to the Warriors’ strength. Typically Golden
State has committed more fouls and turnovers against the younger,
longer, and quicker-twitch teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves and
Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers are older and run more stagnant.

Los Angeles sped the Warriors’ defense up in the second half, making it
a seven-point game by the start of the fourth quarter as the game came
down to the wire.

Allen wrote:
> Observations: Warriors blow another big lead, lose to Los Angeles Clippers
> Golden State Warriors lose a 22-point lead to Los Angeles Clippers
>
> By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
> PUBLISHED: December 2, 2023 at 3:38 p.m. | UPDATED: December 2, 2023 at
> 5:57 p.m.
> https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/12/02/warriors-blow-another-big-lead-lose-to-los-angeles-clippers/
>
>
>
> LOS ANGELES — The Warriors led until the final 8.9 seconds when Los
> Angeles Clippers forward Paul George hit a go-ahead 3-pointer to hand
> Golden State a 113-112 loss on Saturday afternoon.
>
> The Warriors are now 9-11 and on a four-game road losing streak. But
> head coach Steve Kerr saw more silver lining than cloud, even though his
> team blew a lead of 20 points or more for the second time in a week.
>
> Golden State coughed up a 24-point lead to Sacramento last Tuesday when
> they were eliminated from the NBA’s In-Season Tournament.
>
> Here are observations from a strong performance that went awry down the
> stretch.
>
> - Trouble keeping a lead
>
> The Warriors had a 19-point lead at the half and a 22-point early in the
> third quarter, as they stared down the path to a breezy win. But with
> James Harden, George, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook, the Clippers
> are built to erase big leads.
>
> Harden took over, scoring 15 points in the third quarter to get them
> back into it.
>
> That said, Kerr didn’t mind the loss as much as the one in Sacramento.
> The Kings shot 42 free throws and the Warriors made two costly turnovers
> — Kerr’s big red flags — in a 124-123 Golden State loss.
>
> Saturday, the Clippers shot 14 free throws and the Warriors turned the
> ball over just 10 times.
>
> “It was more them than us,” Kerr said of the loss. “I was really pleased
> with the way we played. You got a talented team and they picked up the
> pressure and kept us off the three-point line in the second half.
>
> “To me, it felt like we deserved to win today. We took care of the ball,
> we kept them off the foul line. We showed poise when they made their runs.”
>
> Steph Curry had 16 points at the half, including an eight-point run to
> close it with the Warriors shooting 54.5% from 3 on 22 attempts. The
> flow stopped when the Clippers switched to a zone defense and took away
> the 3, letting the Clippers stars chip away. Curry went 1-for-10 and the
> Warriors 15-for-44 in the second half.
>
> Green sees Golden State’s blown leads as indications that the crew
> hasn’t learned to win together or close games consistently quite yet.
> Chris Paul and Green’s absences thus far have kept them off course, he
> says.
>
> “We’ve got to learn how to win,” Green said. “Every year, groups are
> different. And each year, that particular group has to learn to win. And
> that’s been tested a bit, especially with guys out. (Paul) is a key cog
> when it comes to winning, so we have to figure that out and I have no
> doubt that we will,”
>
> - Draymond Green’s 3-point shooting
>
> Green woke up a sleepy crowd with four 3-pointers in the first quarter,
> tying the most he’s had in one quarter since January of 2016. His 12
> points were the most he’s scored in a quarter this season and his
> biggest total since he had 18 in that game against the Nuggets nearly
> eight years ago.
>
> Green finished with a season-high 21 points but missed the open corner 3
> at the buzzer that would have won the game — he thinks Westbrook got a
> piece of it on its way up.
>
> Teams will leave Green open beyond the arc because he’s a 31.7% career
> 3-point shooter. But he can give the Warriors a boost when he can take
> advantage of that space and knock down shots.
>
> “Feels great,” Green said of his shot. “I just try to shoot it with
> confidence on the ones that are there. Not overthinking it. I put a lot
> of work on my shot, so I think the main thing for me is just going into
> shooting it when it’s there.”
>
> In 12 games, Green is shooting 47.2% on three attempts per game on
> average. Keeping defenses a little honest like he did on Saturday — and
> he did a good amount in the earlier part of his career — gives the
> Warriors’ offense an added dynamic.
>
> - Starting lineup change
>
> Andrew Wiggins missed his second straight game nursing an injured index
> finger on his shooting hand, giving Moses Moody another shot in the
> starting lineup. Dario Saric got the start in place of Kevon Looney to
> help with spacing on the floor.
>
> The change gave Golden State a spark from the tip. Similar to their win
> against Los Angeles on Thursday, the Warriors played with more pace and
> energy than in previous games — despite the loss.
>
> - Improved defense
>
> Despite the Clippers’ comeback, it’s clear getting Green back has
> tightened up the Warriors’ defense and lessened some of the
> communication-related mistakes they were prone to through their losing
> streak. Through their two wins, they’ve held off any big scoring games
> by one of the Clippers’ many stars.
>
> The Clippers’ style plays to the Warriors’ strength. Typically Golden
> State has committed more fouls and turnovers against the younger,
> longer, and quicker-twitch teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves and
> Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers are older and run more stagnant.
>
> Los Angeles sped the Warriors’ defense up in the second half, making it
> a seven-point game by the start of the fourth quarter as the game came
> down to the wire.

I think this was another terrible loss. At least it was demoralizing to me.

The Clippers are under .500! And the Warriors "aren't worried" about
blowing a 20-point lead to them? That also worries me.

The offense at the end of close games is reduced to desperation very
long three-pointers by Steph. Which he's not making.

I love this team, but it's in trouble. It can no longer impose its will,
offensively or defensively, on other teams.

I think back to previous years when the announcers on
nationally-televised games would confidently assert that "the Warriors
will allow you back into the game." It pissed me off at the time. At
that point, the announcers were commenting mostly on the Warriors'
tendency to relax and start throwing the ball away with a big lead. Now
the same principle seems to apply, but more because they no longer have
the talent to maintain dominance.

Maybe when everyone is healthy at once the team will begin to jell. At
the very least, Moody and Podziemski are getting valuable developmental
minutes and are playing well. Kuminga continues to be up and down,
although his effort is mostly there.

And I'm not as down on Klay's defense as others are (Warriors World, I'm
looking at you), although he can't guard anyone fast anymore.

--Robin