LA Clippers dominated by in-form Warriors in preseason opener

The LA Clippers’ preseason opener was far from what fans hoped for as they lost 120-75 to an overwhelming Golden State Warriors team in Oakland.

Well, that’s that. LA Clippers basketball is back, so we have that to pleased about. Unfortunately for the members of Clipper Nation hoping for a strong start, that well and truly escaped the team in the preseason opener. The Clippers shot poorly, lost intensity, struggled to create against a tight knight defense, failed (as everyone will) to keep up with the best shooting team in the NBA, and got blown off the floor by a Golden State Warriors team that was rolling already.

The final score? A deflating 120-75 win in Oakland for the Warriors.

Just remember, it’s only the preseason. The first game of the preseason at that, so we can shrug this off and look to Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center.

Look for positivity in the fact that this game means nothing and this was the Warriors’ second preseason game, so they were at least slightly more prepared for a better performance than the Clippers and their host of debut players.

And the Warriors have Kevin Durant and the best offensive lineup, too. That certainly didn’t hurt them.

The Clippers didn’t play well. At all. It’s that simple really. And while that was happening, from DeAndre Jordan somehow recording a plus-minus of -51 in just 22 minutes on the court to the trio of Chris Paul, Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers shooting a combined 0-of-18, the Warriors fired on all cylinders.

Durant’s defense was a problem when smothering players at the perimeter and blocking drives to the rim (poor Austin), and shone as a valued addition to the new Warriors that often gets overlooked when everyone focuses on the shooting.

Then there was that shooting, too. Durant looked brilliant in the Warriors’ fluid offense, racking up 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks, while Klay Thompson led the way with 30 points (10-of-14 shooting) in a scolding hot 21 minutes of action. That’s not bad production for the Warriors’ third man.

Stephen Curry only needed to score 14 points and the Warriors still steamrolled their way towards 120 points overall and tore apart a lacklustre Clippers defense for a 71-33 lead in the first half alone.

So, what are the takeaways for the Clippers? In all honesty, there aren’t many.

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The Warriors looked in a league of their own after having played just one preseason game together. But, after a more convincing opening to the first quarter, the Clippers simply trailed off and made matters easier for them. In the first few minutes, it looked like Blake Griffin could give the Warriors some trouble. He could follow up on the offensive glass, draw double teams in the post and use his stellar passing to find open teammates, and the Clippers have a clear size advantage with Griffin and Jordan.

After losing some brief success early on, though, the Clippers’ energy dwindled, their defense looked lost, the offense went ice cold and they struggled to fluidly move the ball.

“I thought we showed up to play an exhibition game, and they came to play a game,” Doc Rivers said after the loss, per Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. It’s hard to argue with Doc’s criticism.

The only other positives for the Clippers were some of the new guys. Marreese Speights was the star of the show, providing instant offense in typical Mo Buckets fashion and scoring a team-high 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting with two three-pointers (one was a bank shot, but still) in his 17 minutes off the bench. His range was on display, in particular with a deep three near the end of the first quarter, and he provided some quick buckets to keep the Clippers within 50 points as the game progressed. What an impact.

Among the Clippers who played at least 10 minutes, Speights was the only one to record a positive plus-minus (+2).

Raymond Felton had some solid moments as well, bringing some driving ability that the bench will appreciate, scoring nine points, and grabbing three steals.

Alan Anderson was also effective when taking the ball inside, and earned himself five free throws to rack up 10 points in his 10 minutes off the bench.

As for the rookies, Diamond Stone (nine minutes) and Brice Johnson (seven minutes), they were able to get some play in garbage time, but hardly showed much with the Clippers hanging around to keep the loss within 50 points.

Xavier Munford was the real meaningless spark plug as he made a four-point play, and had an impressive block.

Outside of that, there really isn’t much to say. The Clippers looked awful and they were destroyed because of it. It’s important to not overreact or even react that much, though.

Next: Can Brice Johnson and Diamond Stone contribute?

Because, after all, this is the first game of preseason. It’s the first chance this team had to pay together and the only way is up from here. Thanks to the roster continuity they do have, it shouldn’t take too long before they start improving. Keep calm, LA Clippers fans.