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Los Angeles Clippers: 3 takeaways from Game 4 defeat vs. Warriors

By Daniel Lubofsky

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 21: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors protects the ball on the final possession of the game behind Lou Williams #23 and Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers during a 113-105 Warriors win in Game Four of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on April 21, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) 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.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 21: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors protects the ball on the final possession of the game behind Lou Williams #23 and Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers during a 113-105 Warriors win in Game Four of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on April 21, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) 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. /
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(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

1. Little production from L.A.’s leaders

The Clippers famously don’t house an NBA superstar. Instead, they lean on just about everybody on the roster to contribute in whatever ways they do best. For Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari, that means scoring the basketball.

Williams averaged a team-high 20.0 points  in just 26.6 minutes per game off the bench. Gallo wasn’t far behind, putting in a career-best 19.8 per game on 46.3 percent shooting from the field. In Game 4, neither could be found much in the scoring column, with just 12 and 16 points between them respectively.

Facing off against such a potent offensive squad in the Warriors, L.A. needs some production of its own at that end to keep up. The duo tried its best to shoot its way out of these slumps, yet neither could find the range, resulting in a combined shooting percentage of just 23.3 percent on 30 attempts.

These two high-level talents are leaned on heavily by the Clippers to produce points in bunches on a team ranked fifth in points per game during the regular season. Williams is the favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year because of it.

Los Angeles doesn’t really have anyone else that can consistently create his own shot when called upon. Harrell is the Clips’ next leading scorer, but his offensive repertoire mostly consists of spoon-fed layups and dunks. Landry Shamet has shown promise, but in his rookie season, it’s unrealistic to expect much from him right now.

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Sweet Lou was averaging 25.7 points this series before his most recent dud. Gallinari has actually struggled all series, averaging just 16.0 points on 31.8 percent shooting over the first three games. If one or both can regain their regular-season rhythm, it will make things that much more difficult for the Warriors. If not, Golden State’s defense won’t find many issues to deal with defensively.

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