Los Angeles Clippers pull away late to thump Golden State Warriors 105-86: NBA Recap Part 2
The visitors carried on the momentum early in the second quarter and on a Ryan Gomez layup, took their lead to 9 points, 32-23.
That was where Ellis took control. He started a 9-2 run on a layup and followed it with another finger roll into the rim. On the next Golden State Warriors possession, he doled out a dish to David Lee, who drove down the lane for
a two. After Dorrell Wright followed up with a strike from the long range, Ellis again drove to the rim for a layup, giving the Warriors a 37-36 lead, their first lead for nearly 15 minutes. That advantage was short lived though as Blake Griffin made a free
throw and Billups followed with a two. Courtesy a flurry of free throws though; the Warriors went into the break ahead by 43-41.
The Clippers looked rusty at best before the interval. Billups with 9 was the highest scorer as they made just 33.3 percent of their shots from the field. Griffin in particular was disappointing with only 7 points’ Paul also scored
7 while Caron Butler had 1.
However after the break, Griffin broke free.
The second year sensation started off with a slam dunk and scored 4 out of the first 6 Clipper shots. Butler made a three point play seconds later and after Lee rattled the basket for a two, Billups drilled a 3 to make it 59-51.
The Clippers kept the pressure on and were leading by 67-57 with 3:12 left in the third. In the next two minutes, the Warriors bounced back with a 10-4 surge but Chris Paul made two jumpers right at the end to give his team a 75-68 lead going into the fourth.
The Warriors made a hot start to the final quarter and reeled off a 9-3 spurt, capped by a three from a Brandon Rush, to make it a one point game, 77-78.
Mo Williams broke the Warriors run with a floating jumper, but Klay Thompson again tipped the ball in for 79-80. Billups followed with two free throws only to see Biedrins score a running hook shot for 80-81.
That was the point where the game turned on its head. Mo William drilled a jumper to start 25-6 knockout punch as the Clippers pulled away. Chris Paul and Griffin showed their true colours down the stretch and combined to score
the last 14 points for the Clips – Paul with 8 and Griffin with 6. The Clippers did not miss from the floor during that 14 point stretch.
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