Warriors Lose In More Ways Than One
The Golden State Warriors' brief undefeated run of dominance came to an abrupt end on Sunday night as the Clippers gave the Dubs their first loss of the season at Chase Center. The Warriors' main focus now shifts to the status of their superstar Steph Curry, who rolled his left ankle late in the third quarter. Curry would re-enter the contest midway through the fourth quarter and immediately reaggravated the injury.
After Curry exited the game a second time, he was seen going to the locker room and would later be ruled out for the remainder of the game with a left ankle sprain.
“He’s doing okay. It’s mild or moderate. He’s obviously sprained that left ankle many times before, so he doesn’t think it’s too bad. It’s a concern, he’s going to get an MRI tonight,” head coach Steve Kerr said.
Golden State went on one final run to cut the deficit to as low as three points in the game's final minutes, after a step-back jumper from Andrew Wiggins, to give him 29 points and cut the lead to 105-102. The Warriors proceeded to be outscored 7-2 the rest of the way, as the Clippers picked up their second straight win on the second night of a back-to-back, after winning in Denver on Saturday.
The Warriors’ inability to string together stops was evident as the Clippers continuously went down and produced on the offensive end at ease. The lack of size on Golden State’s roster was exposed Sunday night, with L.A.’s veteran center Ivica Zubac’s having his way in the paint, posting a stat line of 23 points, 18 rebounds, and six assists.
The Clippers outscored the Warriors 60-38 in the paint, with Zubac being at the forefront, as well as creating second-chance opportunities with six offensive rebounds to give L.A. a 21-15 advantage.
Draymond Green was absent from the closing lineup which came as a surprise to many, Green struggled during his 26 minutes of action scoring just two points, to go along with five rebounds, and two assists.
“We just went with the group that was playing well,” Kerr said postgame.
As for the Warriors' offensive showing, it differed from what we had watched during the season’s first two games. The first quarter was a more positive offense showing and finished knotted up with the Clippers at 34-34.
Shooting guard Buddy Hield, who has lit it up from beyond the arc this season, coming in shooting 12-16 from three failed to recapture that same offensive rhythm, as he went just 3-14 from the field, going 1-9 from three.
Curry had scored 18 points going 4-7 from three in his 26 minutes on the floor. Though the biggest positive of the night came from the performance of Andrew Wiggins who performed exceptionally, keeping the Warriors within striking distance throughout the night.
Wiggins scored a Warriors season-high 29 points on 11-15 shooting (73%) from the field, connecting on five triples. A fantastic sign for the Dubs as they remain in search of a guy who will help Steph with the offensive load on a consistent basis, something Jonathan Kuminga, someone who is expected to step up has failed to do thus far.
“He’s just being Wiggs. He went through a lot last year. He’s starting to clear up everything and has a clear mind. That’s Andrew Wiggins for you,” Gary Payton II said.
The Warriors will play back-to-back contests against the New Orleans Pelicans at home starting Tuesday, in what will be a test with Curry’s status very much still in the air.
(Photo credit: Nic Coury / AP Photo)