Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Warriors Snap Losing Streak with 112-97 win over Clippers
The Golden State Warriors have finally gotten the taste of defeat out of their mouths.
After losing five-straight games heading into Tuesday night, the Warriors found themselves back in the win column after beating the visiting Los Angeles Clippers, 112-97, at Chase Center in front of a home crowd. Behind 21 points from rookie Jonathan Kuminga and 20 points from Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson, the Warriors snap their largest losing streak of the season.
For Golden State, it’s been quite the struggle after losing nine of their last 11 games, dating back to Feb. 9 bashing, courtesy of the Utah Jazz. While that stint saw several blown leads and poor defensive execution, Tuesday came as Golden State’s finest performance in nearly a month.
Holding the Clippers to just 35-percent shooting from the floor, the Warriors appeared to re-discover a defensive effort that earned them a No. 1 defensive efficiency ranking earlier this season.
From contesting interior shots near the rim to rotating to perimeter shooters at the three-point line, Golden State was stout against a Clippers offense that put up a season-high 142 points just two weeks prior.
Perhaps the brightest spot for the Warriors was Poole, who scored over 20 points for the fourth-straight game. Poole has started at guard in 36 games so far this season, including 28-straight to start the season. After the return of Klay Thompson in early Feb, however, the Michigan product has been relegated to contributing off the bench for the Warriors.
In addition to Poole, the Warriors received 20 points from Thompson, who struggled from the floor early. FInding the range late, however, Thomson finished the game shooting 9-for-23 overall.
Kuminga, who was Golden State’s leading scorer, was a plus-10 off the bench for the Warriors. Hitting a pair of triples, Kuminga also hit five of his six free throws.
Stephen Curry, who had 15 points, also became the Warriors’ all-time leader in steals (1,361) to pass Warrior legend Chris Mullen on that list.
With the much-needed win, the Warriors sit just half a game behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Next on the docket for Golden State will be a Thursday night matchup against the Denver Nuggets in Denver — their second meeting in three games.
