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3 Factors doom Golden State Warriors despite Curry’s masterful 50-piece

By Peter O'Keefe

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 15: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after scoring a three-point basket against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of the game at Crypto.com Arena on March 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 15: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after scoring a three-point basket against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half of the game at Crypto.com Arena on March 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors attempt to arrest their road woes has fallen short once again, going down to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night despite the mastery of two-time MVP Stephen Curry.

A day after celebrating his 35th birthday, Curry went for an absurdly efficient 50 points on 20-for-28 shooting including 8-for-14 from three-point range. Yet despite his heroics, and the Warriors’ hot shooting overall as a team, they still went down in the high-scoring affair.

The offensive glass, free-throw line, and turnover differential each played significant roles in the Los Angeles Clippers’ 134-126 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Golden State had their chances throughout the entire game, despite trailing the hosts for the majority of the contest. The reigning champions went up early in the second-half after trailing by three at the main interval, yet the Clippers responded to produce a 16-2 run to regain a double-digit advantage.

Curry wasn’t about to let his side go meekly into the night, pouring in 21 third-quarter points in another performance that belied his age. A six-point Los Angeles lead was cut to three with a JaMychal Green and-1 to start the fourth, but again the hosts responded to go up double figures. A Donte DiVincenzo three made it a five-point game with five minutes to play, but that’s as close as the Warriors got in another disappointing defensive display.

Golden State’s eight-point loss is rather remarkable given Curry’s 50, and the fact they shot 55.7% from the field and 47.2% from three-point range as a team. But a trio of factors would come to haunt the Warriors as their succession of road losses stretches to an abysmal nine in a row.

Golden State was unable to keep Ivica Zubac and even Russell Westbrook from the offensive glass, with the pair combining for nine of the Clippers’ 16 offensive rebounds. In contrast, the Warriors had just seven offensive boards and produced nine more turnovers, contributing to eight more field-goal attempts for Los Angeles. That came despite getting to the free-throw line a whopping 17 more times, with the disparity in that department continuing to plague Golden State’s season.

Curry was largely a one-man band for the Warriors, though Jordan Poole chipped in 19 points and five assists in 25 minutes of action. Klay Thompson had 15 but on less than 40% shooting, while Kevon Looney’s 13 rebounds was offset by 19 points and 16 rebounds from his counterpart in Zubac.

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Making matters worse for Golden State, Draymond Green was assessed his 16th technical of the season late in the first-half, meaning he’ll miss Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks unless it gets rescinded. The Warriors remain one game ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks at sixth in the Western Conference at 36-34.

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