Golden State Warriors: 3 takeaways from Game 2 vs. Clippers
The Golden State Warriors experienced a historic collapse in Game 2 of their first round series in the 2019 NBA Playoffs. Here are three main takeaways.
Leading by as many as 31 points in the second half of their Game 2 matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Golden State Warriors were in the driver’s seat Monday night, heading towards an inevitable first round sweep at the finish line.
But instead of keeping their eyes on the road, the defending champs took a few calls, started digging around in the backseat for some snacks, sent out a few texts, took a few selfies and generally drove through the home stretch like they were already on their victory lap. By the time they looked back at the road, they were a burning pile of wreckage shaped like the worst collapse in NBA playoff history.
Giving up 85 second half points and getting outscored 41-23 in the final frame, the Warriors choked away a game against the 8-seeded Clippers, ultimately falling 135-131 at home to even the series at one game apiece.
Lou Williams led the way with 36 points and 11 assists, while Landry Shamet‘s clutch 3-pointer gave Los Angeles the lead with 16.5 seconds to go. Stephen Curry was unable to respond, and Montrezl Harrell (25 points, 10 rebounds) closed out the largest comeback in NBA playoff history at the foul line.
Curry finished the night with 29 points and six assists, but sorely struggled in the second half. Kevin Durant added 21 points, five rebounds and five assists, but was a turnover machine and fouled out with just over a minute to play. DeMarcus Cousins left the game injured just a few minutes in, and though Kevon Looney stepped in with a career-high 19 points on 6-of-6 shooting, it wasn’t enough to prevent the end result.
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The question is, after another turnover-heavy night that contributed to the biggest single-game collapse of the Steve Kerr era, are the Warriors vulnerable? Is this really a series now as it shifts back to Los Angeles for Game 3? And how will the Dubs fare if Boogie is out for an extended period of time?
In order to sort it out, here are three takeaways from the Game 2 loss.