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SAN FRANCISCO — Plagued by slow starts, this time, the Warriors couldn’t finish.
After coach Steve Kerr called out the Warriors’ effort while falling behind early in their last game against the Lakers, they responded by jumping out to a 17-point first half lead against the Clippers.
It all fell apart after halftime in a 114-101 loss.
“The second half got away from us — all of us,” Kerr said. “It wasn’t one thing or one player. We struggled to score and they picked up their defensive intensity.”
Kris Dunn drained a corner 3 on the first possession of the fourth quarter to give the Clippers their first lead since early in the first period and scored nine of his 16 points after halftime.
Matched up almost exclusively against Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard’s 37-game streak of scoring 20 or more looked to be in serious jeopardy — until he exploded for 15 in the second half to finish with 23. Benedict Mathurin added 15 after halftime to finish with 17, and Darius Garland contributed 12 off the bench in his Clippers debut.
“They were great in the second half,” Kerr said.
Golden State was locked in from the get-go on defense, turning six turnovers into nine points and holding the Clippers to 7-of-24 from the field while jumping out to a 31-19 lead after one.
“Our defense was excellent,” Kerr said. “We were flying around, getting some good shots. And we didn’t foul. … They were really good defensively in that second half. We just couldn’t get anything to go.”
Brandin Podziemski poured in 20 points in the first half but added only two points to that total after halftime. Al Horford finished with 17 — a team-best 11 in the second half — but Golden State couldn’t pick up the slack.
The Warriors committed 10 turnovers that led to 17 points and shot 15-of-45 (33.3%) from the field as they watched a 56-42 halftime lead turn into a double-digit defeat.
What it means
There are now just 1.5 games separating the Warriors and the Clippers in the Western Conference playoff picture. LA is currently in ninth place and if Ty Lue’s squad can overtake Golden State, it would send the Warriors to the No. 9-10 play-in matchup.
The teams meet once more, on the final day of the regular season.
Turning point
When Green checked out with 4:37 left in the third quarter.
The Warriors managed to sustain their halftime advantage for most of the third quarter, but the tables turned when their best defender went to the bench.
“Draymond’s effort and energy defensively set the tone for the whole first half,” Kerr said. “He was all over the place, flying around. We really were able to contain Kawhi in the first half because of Draymond.”
Leonard had only 12 points on eight shot attempts at the time. He proceeded to pour in another 11 on 4-of-6 shooting as the Clippers outscored the Warriors 53-30 from then on.
The Warriors still held a 71-61 lead at the time Green checked out. By the time the fourth quarter began, Golden State’s advantage had been cut to 79-77.
The Warriors never reclaimed a lead after Dunn sank the 3 to start the fourth.
“He can’t play the whole game,” Kerr said of Green, who logged 31 minutes. “But that was the key stretch.”
MVP: Nate Williams
Who? The newcomer to the Warriors — signed to a two-way contract on Feb. 17 — scored a career-high points in 22 minutes in only his second game with Golden State.
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard who attended nearby Prolific Prep (Napa) also occasionally switched onto Leonard, even forcing a steal and a loose-ball foul that sent him to the foul line.
Stat of the game: -18
Kerr strategically staggered Green’s minutes to match up with the Clippers’ top option, and it mostly worked — for the first half. Green faceguarded Leonard all game, and Golden State was a plus-seven in his minutes before halftime — minus-2 for Leonard.
Just like the scoreboard, that flipped in the second half.
Green finished the game minus-18, while Leonard was plus-16.
Up next
The Warriors hit the road for three games, beginning Thursday at the Rockets. It will be difficult to win without Curry at Houston, or against the Thunder on Saturday, but they end the trip with a gettable game against the Jazz in Utah.
In addition to Curry, whose earliest return is March 13, it hasn’t been determined whether Kristaps Porzingis will make the trip after missing his fifth straight game with an illness Kerr described as “a little mysterious.”