The Los Angeles Clippers played down to their opponent and fell to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday March 11. Even after a furious fourth quarter rally by Los Angeles, the Warriors held on to win by a score of 97-93. With the loss, the Clippers fall to 23-16 on the season. This game shows that an emerging Clipper team still has a lot of work to do before they're considered a contender.
Clippers/Warriors 3/11/12
Kyle Rapoza
Being in attendance for the game, it was clear that Golden State was the more physical and more aggressive team for most of the game. Surprisingly, their lineup of primarily guards gave Los Angeles the most trouble. The Clipper defense struggled when they were forced to play three guards together and match up with the Warriors' athleticism.
Los Angeles was done in by poor free throw shooting throughout the game. They made just 19 out of 35 free throws for 54%. Many of the attempts weren't even close and barely hit the rim. In the end, a four point loss was decided by free throw shooting.
The Clippers were led by Blake Griffin who finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds for the game. Griffin shot just seven out of 15 at the line though. Golden State played physical on Blake throughout and it really seemed to get to him late in the game. His free throw shooting was affected, and Blake appeared to force things on the offensive end at key times.
Much of their fourth quarter rally featured a lineup that included reserves Eric Bledsoe, Reggie Evans, and Bobby Simmons. Credit should go to coach Vinny Del Negro for keeping with the hot hand in crunch time. The rally came up short as Golden State regained their composure in the final two minutes and Monta Ellis made hit big baskets to lead his team to the victory.
Monta Ellis led the Warriors with 21 points, six rebounds and 11 assists. Dorrell Wright also got hot from three point range and finished with 20 points and four three pointers.
Being at the game, it's fun to see energy in the stands for Clipper games again. This team is certainly improved and is fun to watch again. These are the type of games that championship contenders need to win and take care of business. The lack of energy early in the game shows the Clippers aren't quite there yet. They're certainly getting closer though.
Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. He's a lifelong NBA fan that has enjoyed watching the Clippers' rise to relevancy this season.
Source:
Clippers vs. Warriors box score
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