Blake Griffin helps Los Angeles Clippers beat the Golden State Warriors 113 – 109
Forward Blake Griffin continued his excellent journey into the season, finishing with a team-high 30 points as the Los Angeles Clippers downed the visiting Golden State Warriors 113-109 at Staples Center.
The sizzling Griffin has blossomed into a multidimensional player, who can not only posterize the opposition with his dunks but, can hit virtually every shot in the book. The rookie sensation had his best all-around games of the
season, matching his season high with 18 rebounds and also distributing a season-high eight assists. His tiebreaking 3-point basket with 46 seconds remaining was just his 10th attempt of the season and he has converted six.
Eric Gordon contributed off the bench with 23 points while Ryan Gomes chipped in 15 points in the season’s seventeenth victory of the Clippers.
Griffin said, "We have done a good job of turning things around as a team, and I'm really proud of my teammates and the way we've stuck together," "We went through a real tough patch at the beginning of the season, and this says
a lot about us because we kept on learning and we kept on fighting. Everybody knows their roles and what they are supposed to do. It's just a matter of following through."
Stephen Curry registered game-high 32 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds for the Warriors, who lost the 24th game of the season. Point guard Monta Ellis played despite spraining his left ankle and totaled 17 points and
four assists in 42 minutes. David Lee and Reggie Williams finished with 16 points apiece for Golden State, who squandered a chance to win five straight for the first time since a six-game stretch, three seasons ago.
Los Angeles mixed it up offensively in the opening quarter, taking a 34-22 lead into the second. Golden State fought hard in the second quarter. However, the Clippers managed to take a 65-56 lead into the locker room. The Clippers
extended their offensive play to the third quarter as Gordon’s 3-pointer increased the Clippers' lead to 76-65 with 7:39 remaining.
Late in the third quarter, Eric Gordon suffered an injury as Warriors’ center Andris Biedrins fouled him during a driving layup. Gordon came down hard on his lower back and stayed on the court for several minutes. He left after
making both free throws. Griffin scored 8 points in the third to help the Clippers grab an 86-82 lead. Gordon came back to the bench with his right wrist bandaged in the fourth quarter and rocked the court with his tenacious shots.
The Warriors gave the Clippers a run for their money in the fourth and tied the game at 105 down the stretch. However, Griffin banged in a huge trey to seal the game.
Curry stated after the game, "I thought we played pretty poorly the whole game, but somehow found a way to make a couple of runs to get back into it," "Blake had a great game and hit that huge shot."
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