Housewarming party spoiled as Golden State Warriors rocked by LA Clippers
2. Golden State’s unexpected shooting woes
The Golden State Warriors had come to revolutionize the 3-point shot with their incredible long-range shot-making in recent years. Against the Clippers, that outside prowess was nowhere to be found, and it wasn’t a pretty sight.
Ignore the modest 35.7 percent the Dubs shot as a whole. This game was decided midway through the third quarter.
The Warriors shot 7-of-23 from beyond the arc in the first half, a 30.4 percent mark. Kerr’s motion offense was generating the same looks as his championship-winning teams, but Glenn Robinson III and Jordan Poole are no Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson.
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Even Stephen Curry, the pinnacle of long-distance greatness, shot just 2-of-11 from 3-point range against LA. Matched up against the eternal pest that is Patrick Beverley, Curry had to work for every shot he got, leaving little energy to convert once he let fly.
Golden State ranked third in 3-point makes last season and eighth in attempts. Those buckets accounted for a little more than a third of their total scoring.
There’s no simple replication for the magic of the Splash Brothers or KD’s unique outside touch. But if the Warriors don’t find a way to make up that deficit, their once-golden offense will continue to fall short of the necessary level to keep pace out west.