Mason Plumlee fired another angry shot at Brandin Podziemski after the latter parried Plumlee’s 4-foot attempt. He hit Podziemski over the shoulders with a nail. The novice fell to the ground. A flagrant foul was called following review.
Tyronn Lue, the coach of the LA Clippers, was fed up with the refereeing throughout the majority of the game. He was dismissed after using a few additional words and receiving his second technical. With nine minutes remaining and a nine-point lead over a team that was less than a quarter away from its All-Star break, the Golden State Warriors had every incentive to push the pace. They’d made enough progress lately to provide hope that they will close.
However, they didn’t. In support of Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga shoved Plumlee, getting a technical that countered Lue’s. Podziemski failed to convert both of the flagrant foul’s free throws. They received no points for leaving that skirmish. After Kuminga’s and-1 put them ahead 12 a possession later, everything started to go wrong, as they lost 130-125. This season, the Warriors have let the Clippers take leads of 22 and 15 points.
Steph Curry stated, “My turnover was the beginning of it.” They received a and-1. On offense, then, every possession felt crowded. That strengthened our case.
Curry attempted a floating pass out of a trap close to the sideline, but Plumlee easily tipped it and Paul George swiped it. George bullied his way past Klay Thompson to score a layup and draw a foul. Curry’s sequence was poor, but it wasn’t the main issue for the evening. The Warriors had an excellent ratio of 34 assists to just 9 turnovers.
Curry remarked, “For thirty-nine minutes, we played really well.”
However, they scored just 19 points and handed up 36 points in the last nine minutes. The greater issue on the floor was on the defensive end. Steve Kerr described the Warriors’ pick-and-roll as being “picked apart,” claiming they failed to adapt sufficiently.
Kerr said, “We fouled.” “I believe they made 37 free throws overall, with 15 made in the fourth quarter.”
James Harden broke them down. Norman Powell scored four three-pointers in the fourth quarter to put the Clippers ahead. It was a poor moment to be back cut for a layup by Kuminga. Amir Coffey struck the right corner with a dagger. Curry accused himself of being too helpful.
Thompson’s bench irritation was evident as the Warriors’ advantage evaporated in the final minutes. He shot just 4 of 14 points against the Clippers, and Kerr decided not to close with him once more. Instead, Podziemski finished with 25 points and five three-pointers. However, with 48 seconds remaining and the Warriors behind six points, Kerr dialed Thompson’s cell. The Warriors were in need of threes, so he substituted him for Kuminga. With 39 seconds remaining on the subsequent possession, Podziemski connected on a shot from the deep left corner. With the Clippers’ advantage reduced to three points, the Warriors were able to play defense without drawing any fouls.
However, Thompson misinterpreted the circumstances. After the inbounds, he fouled Russell Westbrook right away, which confused Kerr and the Warriors bench.
Kerr stated, “We didn’t want to foul.” With 38 seconds remaining, we are down three. It’s obvious: play it out, defend, and grab a rebound.
Although it had a significant effect, Thompson’s mental blunder wasn’t the end of him. With 31 seconds remaining, Curry raced up the court and dribbled in a layup after Westbrook had made both of his free throws, setting up another defend-without-foul scenario down by three.
This was not a foul call by the Warriors. They acted it out. They forced a mistake from Westbrook and had the option to call a timeout once they had the ball. However, they never took ownership. Terance Mann dribbled the rebound to Coffey by outwitting both Thompson and Podziemski. In the fourth quarter, it was the Clippers’ sixth offensive rebound. The Clippers sealed it with a forced foul.
Those were painful, Kerr said. “We just couldn’t get the ball up, even when we did have stops. It’s disappointing because we dropped our guard after playing excellent defense the previous several weeks.
In the fourth quarter, the Clippers scored 44 points. The Warriors fell back to 26-26 overall after the defeat. At home, they are 14–14, and away, they are 12–12.
We’re really mediocre, Curry remarked. “In this league, very average doesn’t cut it.”
