Kerr’s decision to go small favored Warriors
Falling out of bounds as the ball dropped through the hoop, Stephen Curry screamed into the Chase Center rafters in the midst of the Golden State Warriors’ 115-105 comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
Between the third and fourth quarters, the Warriors (5- 4) leaned on a small-ball lineup and a 34-6 run to earn a signature win over one of the NBA’s title contenders.
Curry’s shout was prompted by a fastbreak spurred by a Clippers turnover and a Kent Bazemore assist that cut a 22-point deficit to
six at the end of the third quarter. Curry, who finished with 38 points on 13-for-24 shooting (9for-14 from 3-point range) and 11 assists, paced the Warriors’ decisive run, while Andrew Wiggins added 16 points and Eric Paschall chipped in 12.
With the Warriors up 100-97 with 5:15 to go, Curry checked back into the game, as did Kawhi Leonard for the Clippers (6- 4). Leonard quickly popped in a 13-footer to narrow Golden State’s lead the one, but did not score again. He finished with 24 points, four assists and three re
bounds while Paul George added 25 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
Though the offense struggled to find a flow early, head coach Steve Kerr’s decision to bench a struggling Kelly Oubre Jr. in the middle of the third quarter and play out most of the second half with a three- guard lineup helped create space for Curry to cook.
Alongside Mychal Mulder ( plus-27), Damion Lee ( plus-22) and Bazemore ( plus-16), Curry scored 24 of his points in the second half. Most of those minutes were also played with Paschall ( plus-21) at center, which added another element
of playmaking on the floor.
“It gives us a little better floor spacing,” Kerr said. “The Clippers are an excellent defensive team. They’re long and active and athletic,
and if you can’t create space, then you’re just in a forest of trees out there. So I think that group was able to get some stops, get out in transition and open up the game a little bit for us.”
Through the start of the season, the Warriors have struggled to finish defensive possessions by rebounding misses and not fouling. Entering the game, Golden State was third to last in rebounding percentage (47) and allowed the most free-throw attempts per game (30.6).
In the first half, it looked like more of the same. The Clippers shot 58.7% overall, made eight of their 15 3-point attempts and won the rebound battle 24-14. Missed box- outs led to extra possessions for the Clippers and a 22- point deficit.
That changed in the second half, when the Warriors out-rebounded the Clippers 24-13 despite going small. In the game, they allowed only 13 free throws.