(Basketball news) The Los Angeles Clippers got back to winning ways despite Curry single handedly keeping the Warriors as they beat them 134-126. For the Clippers, Leonard continued his hot streak with 30 points, Paul George had 24 points as Ivica Zubac had 19 points and 16 rebounds while Terance Mann scored 17 points off the bench and Gordon added 16 points.
For the Warriors, Curry tied his season high in points with the 12th 50-point game of his career as he was 20 of 28 and made eight 3-pointers. Jordan Poole added 19 points for the Warriors as they have lost nine straight road games. The Clippers (37-33) have won four straight to move into fifth place in the Western Conference while the defending NBA champion Warriors (36-34) are a game back as the teams split the four-game season series.
“You know they are going to make big runs, but we kept our composure, stayed steady and executed on the offensive end,” said Leonard, who had his fourth 30-point effort in the last eight games.
“We didn’t get stagnant. We executed our shots,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “When a guy like that (Curry) explodes, we stay with the game plan. I thought our offense really carried us.”
“It’s nice to play and shoot well. It is what I expect to do every night,” Curry said. “No matter what the stat sheet looks like after the game, it’s just frustrating when you can’t get over the hump and figure out a way to get a win.”
“With the way our roster is right now, we’re vulnerable on the glass,” Kerr said. “I thought the Clippers played a great game. Steph was sublime. It was incredible to watch him play tonight. It was a great, great game. We just came up short.”
The Dallas Mavericks got back to winning ways as they beat the San Antonio Spurs after overtime 137-128. For the Mavericks, Christian Wood had 27 points and 13 rebounds as Dwight Powell and Jaden Hardy had 22 points each and Green added 21 points as they snapped their three-game losing streak.
The Mavericks were without injured All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. For the Spurs, Keldon Johnson had 27 points while Branham had 20 points as Romeo Langford had 17 points and four others scored in double figures. The Mavericks remained in ninth place which is half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and a game ahead of the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans.
“We made two mistakes late in the game,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “It wasn’t where we were trying to make the mistakes. It just happens. As much as we look at them as numbers, we’re human. San Antonio took advantage of them.”
“We kind of let it slip away in overtime, but the basketball gods were definitely on our side at the end of regulation,” Branham said.
“They did a great job,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “A lot of guys got minutes. Combinations were a little strange probably, but their competitiveness and execution here and there were great. Really proud of them. They deserve to enjoy their evening.”
Also read: NBA: Lakers’ red hot 1st half gets the win over Pelicans while Bucks ease past the Suns
