With plenty of optimism and positivity heading into the game, things remained rosy for the Golden State Warriors when they built a 15-point lead against the LA Clippers at Chase Center on Wednesday night.
Then the fourth-quarter happened. The Clippers outscored the hosts 44-28 in the final period, and 36-22 after head coach Ty Lue was ejected less than three minutes into the fourth. It was a Golden State meltdown that's been all too familiar this season, with numerous defensive breakdowns that led to open shot after open shot that LA capitalized on.
The Golden State Warriors' 130-125 defeat to the LA Clippers has seen them tie for one of the league's most unwanted records
Wednesday's game was the second time Golden State had blown a substantial lead against the Clippers this season, having seen a 22-point lead erased during the teams' meeting at Crypto.com Arena on December 2.
It also marked the sixth time this season that the Warriors had lost after leading by 15 points or more, tying the San Antonio Spurs for the most in the league. The Spurs are a young, rebuilding team currently sitting with a Western Conference-worst 11-44 record.
Golden State, on the other hand, are supposed to be an experienced, championship proven team still with ambition of reaching the mantle-top again this season. Regularly squandering such leads is a sure-fire way of ruining those hopes.
Podz hits the huge three and Klay commits a foul lol pic.twitter.com/M0Hi27nl0u
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 15, 2024
The major issue is their late-game mistakes have often emanated from the same veteran players that have brought the franchise four championships. Nothing signified that more than Klay Thompson's decision to intentionally foul Russell Westbrook (see above) down only three with 40 seconds still to play. At best it was a brain-fade, and at worst it was complete idiocy reflected in the reaction of his head coach on the sidelines.
Only moments before had Stephen Curry inexplicably over-helped on a Westbrook drive. Jonathan Kuminga appeared to have Westbrook contained as he attacked the paint, yet Curry chose to completely leave Amir Coffey in the corner who duly buried the crucial three. No one's blaming Curry for the loss given he had another nine threes and 41 points, but it was nonetheless a brutal mistake from the leader and franchise superstar.
The six blown leads is just a small sample size of countless games this season where Golden State have been in position to win. They hold a 26-26 record, but that could easily have been 30-35 wins with slightly better execution in the big moments.
Instead, the Warriors approach the All-Star break still in a perilous position at 10th in the West. They may still be in the best shape they've been all season, yet one can't help but feel a breath of momentum was lost on Wednesday night.