The Los Angeles Clippers-Golden State Warriors rivalry could be back to where it once was now that both teams are near the top of the Western Conference early on in the NBA season. They battled to the very end on Sunday night, but it was Steph Curry who took over at Oracle Arena. Curry had 42 points, including the go-ahead layup with 0.5 seconds left to give the Warriors a 129-127 victory. Curry's point total was his second-highest of the season, as his Warriors took back over the top spot in the West heading in to Christmas Day on Tuesday.
Avery Bradley tied the game with 20.6 seconds to play by driving for a dunk, but following a timeout, Curry had the ball in his hands in the final seconds, which is never a good sign for the opponent. Tobias Harris missed on a shot as time expired, sealing the Clippers' 14th loss of the season. After their hot start to the year, Los Angeles is now just five games over .500, which has them in the five seed in the standings.
The win for the Warriors was their eighth in the past 10 games, and they got that despite the Clippers shooting 78 percent from beyond the arc, including 81 percent in the first half alone, which set an NBA record for three-point percentage in one half. The 13 made three-pointers also set a franchise record for the Clippers in the loss.
Kevin Durant had 35 points to help Golden State overcome those numbers, as they moved a half game ahead of the Denver Nuggets for first place in the West. KD came out of halftime on fire to score 14 points in the third quarter alone, while Curry added 11 in those 12 minutes.
Harris led the Clippers with 32 points, including 19 in the first half to give his team a four-point lead at the break. Meanwhile, Lou Williams added 25, but Los Angeles will have to bounce back on Wednesday night at home against the Sacramento Kings. The Warriors will do battle with the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas night.
Avery Bradley tied the game with 20.6 seconds to play by driving for a dunk, but following a timeout, Curry had the ball in his hands in the final seconds, which is never a good sign for the opponent. Tobias Harris missed on a shot as time expired, sealing the Clippers' 14th loss of the season. After their hot start to the year, Los Angeles is now just five games over .500, which has them in the five seed in the standings.
The win for the Warriors was their eighth in the past 10 games, and they got that despite the Clippers shooting 78 percent from beyond the arc, including 81 percent in the first half alone, which set an NBA record for three-point percentage in one half. The 13 made three-pointers also set a franchise record for the Clippers in the loss.
Kevin Durant had 35 points to help Golden State overcome those numbers, as they moved a half game ahead of the Denver Nuggets for first place in the West. KD came out of halftime on fire to score 14 points in the third quarter alone, while Curry added 11 in those 12 minutes.
Harris led the Clippers with 32 points, including 19 in the first half to give his team a four-point lead at the break. Meanwhile, Lou Williams added 25, but Los Angeles will have to bounce back on Wednesday night at home against the Sacramento Kings. The Warriors will do battle with the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas night.
