Clippers beat Warriors for third straight game in wild, heated finish

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The Clippers and Warriors always play games that feel like we are in May. With another wild finish at Intuit Dome, the Clippers were able to hold off a late surge from the Warriors to win 102-92. 

After a jagged first half by both teams, the second half was full of theatrics and exciting plays up and down the floor. Every Clipper starter ended up with double digit points, with Norman Powell leading the way with 26 on 10/20 shooting. 

It felt like James Harden could not get anything to fall all night, but still ended up with 18 points, albeit on 6/14 shooting. 

You look up and down the lineup and Derrick Jones Jr. was fantastic, with a few huge dunks, Kris Dunn had 13 points and played fantastic defense, and Ivica Zubac had his 7th straight double-double.

But the real issues came in the fourth quarter, where, despite the Warriors not having Steph Curry and Draymond Green, began to make a run. 

The Clippers turned the ball over 7 times in the first 5 minutes of the 4th, and saw their lead shrink from 21 to as low as 3. 

Jonathan Kuminga’s 34 points on 11/19 shooting brought the Warriors all the way back, but what stifled the Clippers was the full court press and backcourt double. 

At the start of the 4th quarter, the Clippers had 11 turnovers in the game, and by the end of the game, the total tally was 21. 

It looked like a full meltdown, and as things started to get tense, the two teams, with bad blood in their history, started to get heated again. 

Brandin Podziemski became Intuit Dome’s number one enemy, after he flopped on a James Harden offensive foul, and then flew into Amir Coffey’s legs trying to get over a screen. 

The two teams had to be separated and flashed everyone back to the “Lob City” era duels between the two.

James Harden and Norm Powell did end up navigating the backcourt traps and eventually closed out the game, but it was not pretty. 

Regardless, the Clippers are 18-13, and have won 11 out of their last 13 games at Intuit Dome, moving them into the 5th spot in the Western Conference. 

Now, they embark on a three game road trip, beginning in New Orleans, with tipoff set for 5:00 PM PST on Monday.  

But, when they come back, Kawhi Leonard will be available and ready to make his season debut on January 4th against the Atlanta Hawks. 

If this team can incorporate a healthy Kawhi Leonard, added on to this 5th seeded team with a top 5 defense in the league, they could become a contender in the West yet again. 

Just a remarkable season so far for a Clippers team that everyone doubted coming in.