The Clippers led by 11 early, then lost the game in a 20-point second quarter and a 14-0 Warriors run in the fourth. At 1-5 and 13th in the West, the margin for error is already gone.
The second quarter, not the finish, decided this game.
The Clippers opened 37-29 behind a 10-0 burst and led by as many as 11. Then they scored 20 in the second quarter against 34 for Golden State and went to the break down 63-57. A 9-0 Warriors run early in the third pushed it to 63-77, and the lead reached 22. Yaxel Lendeborg scored 37 on 13-of-19 shooting, and De'Anthony Melton's 21 came with a plus-20.
The late run changed the score, not the outcome.
The Warriors went on a 14-0 run in the fourth, from 92-100 to 92-114. The Clippers answered with 13-0, cutting 97-118 to 110-118 with 2:16 left, and Golden State took a timeout. Nick Martinelli scored 10 in the fourth and finished 4-of-5 in six minutes at plus-10. But the closing five were Baba Miller, Cam Christie, Jalen Pickett, Keaton Wagler and Martinelli, and the Warriors answered by scoring the final six points.
Grades: Dunn earns the high mark, Garland the low one.
Kris Dunn gets an A-minus: seven steals, no turnovers, 5-of-8 shooting. Rui Hachimura gets a B: 24 points on 10-of-16 and 4-of-7 from three, yet he was minus-28 in 30 minutes, the worst mark on the floor. Darius Garland gets a C: 4-of-12, 1-of-7 from three and three turnovers, with seven assists. Isaiah Jackson at minus-20 and Kobe Sanders at minus-18 also sat deep in the red. Brook Lopez, at plus-1 in 19 minutes, was the closest to even over real minutes.
The standings now ask for a win tonight.
The Clippers are 1-5 and 13th, three games behind the sixth-place Spurs and 2.5 behind the tenth-place Timberwolves. The current pace projects to 14-68 with 76 games left. Toronto arrives tonight at 3-3 and on a two-game losing streak, with Kawhi Leonard out. The Heat come Wednesday. Ingram, Beal, Strus and Niederhauser all carry a Nov. 8 target, and Derrick Jones Jr. is day-to-day with a knee issue, so the rotation stays thin.
What was the score of the Clippers-Warriors game?
The Clippers lost 112-124 at Golden State on Nov. 1. It was their fifth straight loss and left them 1-5.
Where do the Clippers stand in the West after the loss?
They are 13th at 1-5, three games behind sixth-place San Antonio and 2.5 behind tenth-place Minnesota. Their next game is tonight against Toronto.
