Golden State Warriors: Recapping the Last 5 Games
Dec 25, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) guards Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) in the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Game 2
A Christmas Day rematch.
Last year, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Warriors met at Oracle Arena, and neither team was exactly in the holiday spirit.
Without Andrew Bogut and this time at the Staples Center, things wouldn’t go as well for Golden State as it did in last season’s Christmas Day game.
Here is how off things were for Golden State in this one. The Clippers shot a dreadful 4-for-24 from the field in the first quarter, missing 16 consecutive shots at one point. Yet, Golden State let that opportunity go to waste, only taking a two-point lead into the second quarter.
This game was as ugly as the Christmas jerseys each team wore.
After a sluggish first half for both teams, the Warriors were up 42-41.
Things started to pick up a bit for both teams after the break. Shots started to fall, and each team seemed to be playing with renewed energy.
Los Angeles outscored Golden State 32-28 in the third, taking a three-point lead into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Warriors shot nearly as poorly as the Clippers did in the first quarter.
That, mixed with Jamal Crawford catching fire, and Golden State would go on to suffer their fifth loss of the season and second at Staples Center in three days.
Crawford scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth, and the Clippers ended up with a 100-86 victory.
This marked Golden State’s third loss in five games, following their hot 23-3 start. Their record moved to 23-5 on the season.
"“We’re not invincible,” Curry said. “We have to play the way we’re supposed to play — at our highest level — in order to win games. It you don’t, you’re susceptible to getting beat. But we’re a good team. These last two games haven’t shown our full potential, but it’s important not to overreact to losing two games in a row.”"
Klay Thompson was the Warriors’ high-scorer, with 15 points on the night. As a team, the Warriors shot just 42.5 percent from the field.