Clippers Storm Past Warriors As Road Woes Continue for Defending Champs

Clippers Storm Past Warriors As Road Woes Continue for Defending Champs

Joel Reyes
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:25 PM
  • The Los Angeles Clippers used a strong second-half performance to defeat the Golden State Warriors
  • Kawhi Leonard delivered a shooting masterclass, unleashing a barrage of threes against the Warriors
  • Golden State’s defensive woes surfaced once again on the road, particularly in the third quarter against LA

The Los Angeles Clippers finally snapped their two-game losing streak with a convincing 134-124 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.

The Clippers used a third-quarter onslaught to pull away from the Warriors and record a come-from-behind win.

It was a critical victory for the Clips, who moved to within a half-game of the Phoenix Suns for fourth place in the Western Conference.

Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, LA Clippers, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors
Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green square off. Image: Kevork Djansezian.
Source: Getty Images

Kawhi Leonard led the way for LA, scoring 33 points on 12 of 17 shooting from the field. He was lights out from beyond the arc, matching his career high with seven 3-pointers made, per ESPN.

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The forward finished the game with seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block in 34 minutes of action.

He got plenty of help from his teammates, with four other players scoring in double-figures. Paul George scored 20 points, while fellow starters, Terance Mann and Ivica Zubac chipped in 16 and 10 points respectively.

Norman Powell delivered some quality minutes off the bench, scoring 24 points on 10 of 17 shooting from the floor. The Clippers’ new-look bench was instrumental in Tuesday's win as they outscored Golden State’s bench 49-42.

New recruits, Bones Hyland, Eric Gordon and Mason Plumlee combined for 21 points in LA’s last home game before the All-Star break.

What is the Warriors' problem?

It’s back to the drawing board for the Warriors, who dropped to 29-29 for the season. Offense was not a problem for Golden State in this ballgame as seven players scored in double-figures.

It was Golden State’s defense that let them down against LA. The Warriors allowed 73 points in the second half, 44 of which came in the pivotal third quarter.

The Warriors’ road woes continued as they have now lost 22 of their 29 away games this season.

Where will John Wall go?

Sports Brief recently reported on the top buyout market candidates. One of the players mentioned was John Wall, who was traded by the Clips before the deadline.

The point guard was part of the trade that helped LA land Eric Gordon, with the former Kentucky star now a free agent after being bought out by the Houston Rockets.

Wall has good numbers for the Clippers off the bench, with 18.4 points and 8.5 assists per 36 minutes, shooting 40% overall from the field and 30% from beyond the arc.

Authors
Joel Reyes photo
Joel Reyes
Joel Reyes is a sports editor at Sportsbrief.com with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of the Philippines. He has eight years of work experience in sports writing.
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