Los Angeles Clippers: Offense Shines as Clippers Top Warriors
In a game that featured 10 players that scored in double-figures on both teams combined, the Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors Thursday night 126-115. Five players from each team scored in double-figures with Stephen Curry leading the way for the Warriors with 38 points and nine assists on 14-of-23 shooting and 9-of-14 from 3 point land. Chris Paul was the high scorer for the Clippers with 42 points, 15 assists and six steals. In a battle of the Western Conference’s two best teams, this game did not disappoint with its high-speed, high-scoring and run and gun style of play. With three more battles to come against the Warriors, this matchup should prove to be thrilling and one we could see come playoff time.
Clippers (1-1)
| Starters | Field Goals | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| Blake Griffin | 9-12 | 10 | 2 | 23 |
| Jared Dudley | 4-6 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| DeAndre Jordan | 3-9 | 17 | 1 | 9 |
| Chris Paul | 12-20 | 2 | 15 | 42 |
| J.J. Redick | 5-11 | 5 | 2 | 17 |
| Bench | ||||
| Matt Barnes | 0-4 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Byron Mullins | 0-4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Ryan Hollins | 2-2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Darren Collison | 0-3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Reggie Bullock | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamal Crawford | 7-14 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Antawn Jamison | DNP | |||
| Willie Green | DNP |
Warriors (1-1)
| Starters | Field Goals | Rebounds | Assists | Points |
| David Lee | 8-15 | 5 | 2 | 22 |
| Andrew Bogut | 6-7 | 6 | 0 | 17 |
| Stephen Curry | 14-23 | 3 | 9 | 38 |
| Andre Iguodala | 5-8 | 4 | 11 | 14 |
| Klay Thompson | 3-7 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Bench | ||||
| Marreese Speights | 2-3 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Draymond Green | 1-5 | 8 | 1 | 4 |
| Jermaine O’ Neal | 1-6 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Ognjen Kuzmic | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Toney Douglas | 0-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Nemanja Nedovic | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kent Bazemore | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Harrison Barnes | DNP |
The Good
Well it seems the Clippers got their bad performance out of the way against the Lakers because during this game there was not much to gripe about. Chris Paul was simply incredible posting 42 points along with 15 assists and even added six steals to his stellar performance. It was the role players, however, that continued to shine. DeAndre Jordan added another very solid performance to his opening night game. Although having a rather quiet night on the offensive side of the ball, he collected an astonishing 17 rebounds, 10 of which were offensive rebounds that gave the Clippers a second chance at a basket. J.J. Redick was another role payer who shined this game. While posting 17 points, he continues to shoot well from the field and 3-point land, where he is needed and most effective. His outside shooting prowess spreads the floor for the offensive and gives Chris Paul more room to operate, which he is certainly taking advantage of. Jamal Crawford came off the bench and did what he does best: score. 17 points is what he finished with on the evening and the combination of the outside shooting ability and superior ball-handling ability prove to be very difficult to guard as he can get to the basket or pull up for a jumper. If the Clippers continue to get consistent production from Redick and Crawford, they will be very tough to beat. Blake Griffin added to the offensive theme with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds. Griffin looked stronger in this game finishing layups strong and providing offense in transition. All in all it was a fantastic team offensive effort by the Clippers.
The Bad
Anytime a team gives up 115 points it is not a good thing, no matter how offensively talented the other team is. The Warriors shot 53 percent from the field and 57 percent from 3-point land. The perimeter defense of the Clippers was definitely poor this game and if they wish to contend in the playoffs against proficient shooting teams, their going to have to play better perimeter defense.
Blake Griffin’s post game is still in need of dire improvement.
(Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com)
During certain portions of TNT’s telecast of the Clippers games, commentator Reggie Miller pointed out on more than one occasion that Blake Griffin has made little to no improvement on his post game and shooting. He’s absolutely right. Griffin’s numbers for this game look great on paper. He went 9-for-12 from the field and had 23 points and 10 rebounds. Sounds great, right? Wrong. On many occasions he hesitated to take wide open jump shots and the baskets he did score came from open dunks, baskets in transition or layups. Either he still can’t shoot from outside the paint or he can but is scared to. In either case, he is a big reason that the Clippers half-court offense struggles. Blake Griffin can be the best power forward the NBA has to offer, but as of right now he is an incredibly athletic power forward whose only asset is the ability to dunk on any player that stands in his way. That’s not what the Clippers need him to do. If Blake gets his game together, the Clippers are a serious championship contender. If not, they have to rely on Chris Paul and their outside shooting to get them far into the playoffs. I have this theory that teams cannot shoot their way to a championship (Oklahoma City Thunder) but instead need a consistent high-amount of high percentage shots.
The Ugly
Craig Sager’s suit was pretty ugly.
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