The Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 6 and will face the Houston Rockets in the next round of the Western Conference playoffs.
While Game 4 was the Klay Thompson show, Game 6, and even Game 5, belonged to Kevin Durant. In Game 6, Durant put up a game-high 50 points on an incredible 15-for-26 from the field. With their victory, the Golden State Warriors eliminated the LA Clippers.
It wasn’t just Durant who had a noteworthy game. Lou Williams, the Clippers main offense threat, was held to just 3-for-21 shooting. We made a point of emphasis that stopping, or merely slowing down, Williams would be a huge part for the Dubs either success or failure in Game 6.
In each of the games that Los Angeles won, Williams went off for 30-plus points. In Game 6, he scored just 8. His inefficiency was the difference in Game 6. Overall, the Warriors defense, although they gave up 110 points, was excellent, holding LAC to under 40% from the field.
This was the type of dominant performance that was needed to boost Golden State’s confidence as they’ll soon get ready to play arguably their most trying series of the postseason. However, before we get going on the Rockets matchup, let’s dwell on Game 6 for a bit longer.
Game 6 proved a few things that Warrior fans already knew.
For starters, it proved that it’s tough to rely on anyone other than the Big 3. Although Klay also had an off night, players like Livingston shot just 1-5 while the bench combined for a total of 13 points.
Secondly, it proved that Kevin Durant can be the team’s main scoring option and the team can thrive. After Game 5, people questioned whether too much Durant involvement actually helped the Warriors offense. In Game 6, he proved it does.
Durant didn’t only put up half of 100 points, but he also tallied five assists to go along with it. Tack on an unprecedented 9-for-12 from within the arc, and it’s easy to see why the Slim Reaper is a four-time NBA scoring champion.
Additionally, what’s a Warriors article without the mention of Stephen Curry. The two-time MVP posted 24 points on 8-for-14 from the field. With just five threes, this wasn’t Curry’s typical stat line, but it was the one that the flow of the game dictated.
All that to say, it’s time to prepare for a long series with the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semis.