Any late-season game between teams with identical records eyeing an NBA playoff spot should, for the sake of competitive fairness, be close and decided by the approved elite on each roster.
Warriors Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers matched Wednesday night at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Curry won the fight, but the Warriors lost the game, 134-126, a score extending Golden State’s road loss to nine and Los Angeles’ 2-2 tie.
Although Curry finished with 50 points, Leonard had 30 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals – and a much more productive support staff.
Here are three notes from a game in which the Warriors outscored the Clippers (55.7 percent to 47.9) but were beaten in three major categories: turnover stops, 20-11, second chance points, 27-11, fourth quarter rebound, 14-6.
Steve scene
There was no third quarter magic this time for the Warriors, but there was plenty for Curry.
A day after turning 35, Steve came out of the half-time, latched onto his teammates with his well-defined back and tried to carry them to victory. He played all 12 minutes, scored 21 of 50 points, and shot 9 of 11 from the field, including 3 of 4 from deep.
Meanwhile, his teammates scored 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including 2-of-5 from outside the arc.
Curry shot 20 of 28 from the field, including 8 of 14 from deep, but the Warriors fell to 8-4 when he scored at least 50 points.
Curry during the game tied Wilt Chamberlain for most games with at least 50 points with seven, becoming the first player in NBA history to amass 10,000 points on a 3-point game and the 33rd player to score at least 600 games with at least 20 points.
Draymond is losing a tough fight
Draymond Green caught his 15th technical error in over a month, on February 13 against the Washington Wizards.
The Warriors, noting Draymond’s history, had faith that there would be no technical foul #16, which crosses the allowance threshold. It comes with a one-game suspension, something Green had previously managed to avoid.
Until he was pushed from behind by Russell Westbrook while positioning for a potential rebound and he responded. After Ivica Zubak’s shot fell through the net, the ball made its way to Draymond, who caught it and pushed it into the side of Westbrook’s head.
Referee Carl Lane blew the whistle to assess the fatal technical foul.
A few seconds after the Green-Westbrook exchange, Marcus Morris Sr. grabbed Draymond hard and pinned him to the floor, resulting in a flagrant 2 and automatic dismissal of Morris.
Technical fouls could be overturned at league review, but Draymond will likely sit out Friday night when the Warriors take on the Hawks in Atlanta.
Good streak, short life
To achieve their goal of consistency throughout the season, the Warriors have recently focused on early defense in hopes of eradicating what would otherwise be poor first quarters.
Their goal was to build leads in the first quarter. They’ve done it in each of their last two games, both home victories.
Warriors failed in this game. They were great early on, going 8-1 while forcing six straight field goals to miss, but the Clippers responded with some defense of their own and that changed everything.
The Warriors scored just 15 points during the final 9:30 of the quarter, while the Clippers scored 27, shooting 58.8 percent during that period.
Related: What the Warriors will miss most with Iguodala out
That led the Warriors into the second quarter trailing 28-23, the first time they’ve trailed in the first quarter since their last road game, last Thursday in Memphis.
Happy Trails line of 2 toys. Some bad habits die hard.