Clippers Finish Warriors, 100-86, After Strong 4th Quarter
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Jamal Crawford scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, Chris Paul added 22 points, and the Los Angeles Clippers handed the NBA-leading Golden State Warriors their second loss at Staples Center in three days with a 100-86 victory Thursday night.
The Warriors held the Clippers to 4-for-24 shooting in the first quarter and 39.1 percent for the game, two nights after the Lakers shot 51.7 percent without Kobe Bryant to beat them 115-105. That loss ended a streak of 27 straight games by the Warriors in which they held opponents under 50 percent.
The Clippers, beginning a nine-game homestand after back-to-back losses to San Antonio and Atlanta, haven't dropped three in a row since March 29-April 1, 2013. Blake Griffin missed his first eight shots and was 5 for 16 overall with 18 points and 15 rebounds. DeAndre Jordan had 14 points and 12 boards.
Klay Thompson scored 15 points, and Stephen Curry 14 for Golden State, which has lost three of five following a 23-3 start that included a franchise-record 16-game winning streak.
The Warriors, who finished second behind the Clippers in the Pacific Division the last two seasons, still lead them by four games in the standings. Center Andrew Bogut missed his eighth straight game because of an injured right knee.
Crawford scored nine points during a 3:13 span to help the Clippers build an 86-74 lead with 7:27 left. The Warriors, who missed 13 of their first 15 shots in the fourth quarter, went more than 6 1/2 minutes without a field goal until Justin Holiday's 3-pointer with 2:39 to play.
Paul set up Jordan's reserve slam dunk with an alley-oop lob, then embarrassed Curry with a slick crossover dribble that resulted in a three-point play and followed that up with a 3-pointer -- all in a 1:24 span -- to give Los Angeles a 67-61 lead with 3:52 left in the third quarter.
The Clippers trailed just 42-41 at halftime, despite missing 34 of 47 shots and falling behind by as many as 11 points. Griffin ended his shooting drought with a slam dunk that cut the Warriors' lead to 34-28 with 4:01 left in the second quarter. J.J. Redick missed his first five attempts before hitting a 3-pointer with 48.2 seconds left in the half, and Paul sank two free throws to cap a 9-0 run.
The Clippers missed 16 consecutive shots after DeAndre Jordan's game-opening dunk, but the Warriors could do no better than a 20-18 after one quarter. Jamal Crawford ended the Clippers' field goal drought on a 15-footer with 3:18 left in the period.
Last year's Christmas night game between the Clippers and Warriors at Oakland was a wild one. Draymond Green was ejected at the end of the third quarter because of his flagrant 2 foul against Griffin -- who subsequently was thrown out with 10:43 remaining after an incident involving himself and Andrew Bogut earned Griffin his second technical foul.
The Warriors hung on that night for a 105-103 victory -- the third game of a 10-game winning streak. Thompson blocked Paul's shot with a second left, and Jamal Crawford missed a 3-point attempt over Thompson at the final horn. But the hostilities didn't end there as players from both teams got into a scuffle near the tunnel to the Clippers' locker room, forcing security people to get involved.
TIP-INS
Warriors: The franchise record on Christmas is 9-14, including a 4-9 mark since the Warriors relocated from Philadelphia to the Bay Area for the 1962-63 season. ... The visiting team has lost the last nine regular-season meetings between the teams since the Warriors' 114-110 win at Staples Center on Nov. 3, 2012. ... The Warriors were eliminated by the Clippers in the first round of the 2014 playoffs, losing in seven games.
Clippers: The Clippers are 5-8 on Christmas. This was their fifth Christmas game in the last six years and third against the Warriors, who hosted the other two. ... The Clippers have now beaten the Warriors at least once in 28 consecutive seasons since 1987-88, their longest such streak against any club. ... When the Clippers lost to the Warriors on Oct. 5 at Oakland, they were playing their fifth game in a season-opening seven-day stretch. This also was their fifth game in seven days. ... Jordan's grandmother was in attendance on her 80th birthday, and received a huge hand from the sellout crowd when she was introduced during a timeout in the second quarter. ... Backup C Spencer Hawes his eighth straight game because of a bruised left knee, but no doubt received his share of TV time because of the colorful Christmas suit he was wearing. ... Griffin's older brother, Taylor, is playing his third season with the Warriors' D-League team in Santa Cruz.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Host Minnesota on Saturday night.
Clippers: Host Toronto on Saturday night.
