A stunning victory for the Clippers, trailing by 22 points at the start of the third quarter against Golden State before pulling off an incredible comeback and winning at the end of the suspense.
The Warriors had nevertheless hit hard in the first half, with Draymond Green as master to play in the first quarter, between his four open 3-point baskets and his two assists (22-33), and Stephen Curry hot as embers before the break to enhance the work of an entire group (48-67).
The gap even rose to +22 from the restart, before the locals revolted. It was first Paul George and James Harden who showed the way by being more aggressive on offense. After PG's 2+1, “The Beard” stood out with a 3-pointer and five shots to reduce the score a little (71-85).
The back then perfectly brought out a ball for Kawhi Leonard's outside shot, forcing Steve Kerr to stop the game (76-85). The Clippers' run stopped at 17-2, with Daniel Theis finishing twice (85-87), and despite the scathing response from Klay Thompson at the very end of the third quarter (85-92 ), everything remained to be played with 12 minutes remaining.
Paul George catches up
Los Angeles was then able to return to one possession several times following the combined efforts of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard (106-107). At a crucial moment of the match, when Brandin Podziemski had just given the Warriors a three-point lead, the duo completely broke down, with a pass behind the back from Kawhi Leonard which caused a loss of ball and an unsportsmanlike foul from Paul George in the process on Jonathan Kuminga (106-111).
Paul George's reaction after this big mistake was expected, and the winger did not disappoint. After finding Kawhi Leonard under the circle and seeing Moses Moody miss a free throw behind, PG turned into a hero by scoring the winning 3-pointer on the head of Klay Thompson (113-112).
Draymond Green's last attempt did not find the target, allowing the Clippers to make this huge comeback a reality.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The perfect heist. The Warriors lost after leading for 47 minutes and 10 seconds. The Clippers had four chances to tie at the end of the match on 3-point attempts. But neither Paul George, Daniel Theis, Terance Mann or even Norman Powell found the target. It was finally at the end of the suspense, after a failed step-back from Stephen Curry, that PG delivered his own to achieve the perfect hold-up.
– New record gap. The Knicks' record lasted barely more than a week. The New Yorkers had achieved the biggest comeback of the season after being down by 21 points against the Heat. The Clippers managed to do “better” by winning this time after having conceded up to 22 points behind, following Moses Moody's 3-pointer at the very start of the third quarter.
– Repeatedly. Like against Sacramento a few days ago, the Warriors collapsed in the very last moments of a match they thought they had mastered. There was Malik Monk for the Kings, and this time Paul George to punish them and inflict a setback on the smallest of gaps. Since the start of the season, Golden State has already lost five games by four points or less.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
