The LA Clippers got off to a rough start in the first quarter of their first game against the Golden State Warriors Thursday night.
Steph Curry was a perfect nine of nine from the field, and a perfect five of five from three in that first quarter. He had 25 points in that period. Nothing seemed to be going right for the Clippers, but then they came alive.
The Clippers were finding leads, and with 3:16 left, a timeout was called with a tied game, 104-104. Curry ended up gathering his magic together again, hitting absolutely ridiculous three-point shots. It was too much to come back from, and the Clips ended up dropping the game 113-115.
Despite the loss, Clippers fans saw a lot of good play in key areas that prove that this team can compete with Kawhi Leonard sidelined for now.
The LA Clippers couldn’t figure out how to slow down Steph Curry, but had important players impress overall.
Yes, Steph Curry went for 45 points on 16 of 25 shooting and 8 of 13 from deep with 10 boards, but there were positives to take from the LA Clippers’ performance too.
Eric Bledsoe proved why he was brought back with his offensive performance. Even as a two-guard, which he typically is worse at playing than when he’s at the one, he balled out. Scoring 22 points, Bledsoe shot a very impressive 10 of 16 from the field.
He looked hungry all game, and looked like he was eager to get back and hoop for LA again.
Paul George did Paul George things as well. When their superstar showed up, ours did too. George scored 29 points on a nice 12 of 23 shooting night, drilling five of his 11 three-point shots. There was so much to like about who he was as a scorer, but he also grabbed 11 boards and dished out six assists.
He proved that he’s still a very complete offensive threat, and can lead this team as the number one option.
Terance Mann chipped in off the bench with 11 points and seven boards. Marcus Morris Sr. had a couple of steals on defense, and hit two of five threes for 10 points in just 25 minutes.
Ivica Zubac wasn’t a big factor in the rebounding game, but he played confident and physical. He had 14 points in just 17 minutes. He can build off of a performance like that, and it’s important to remember that he’s doing this as the only center on the Clippers.
Serge Ibaka is hurt, and while we have Isaiah Hartenstein on the roster, Ty Lue played Zubac for all of the center minutes due to how hard he was playing on offense.
Nobody likes an opening game loss, but there were plenty of positives to take from a road loss that we weren’t favored in anyway.