Stephen Curry and James Harden have had many battles over the years, and after two matchups this season, Harden’s Clippers seem to have the Warriors‘ number.
Golden State had the best record in the Western Conference coming into the night, but after a 102-99 loss to Los Angeles, they are now 0-2 against the Clippers and 10-1 against the rest of the league. The Warriors have turned the ball over 40 times combined in the two matchups.
“They forced 21 turnovers, that was the key to the game,” said Steve Kerr coming into the night. “Their defense is really good, and they have added some really impactful defensive players. We have got to have a much more disciplined game tonight and take care of the ball.”
The Clippers came through once again, holding Curry to only three points in the first quarter and eight points at the half.
“I didn’t feel like we really started playing until the second half,” said Kerr after the second loss to LA. “I thought we lost the game in the first half, wasting a lot of possessions, and I give the Clippers a lot of credit. They forced turnovers and are a great defensive team.”
Curry did get it going with nine quick points to start the third quarter, all from three-point range. Golden State fought all the way back to potentially tie the game on the last possession before falling just short.
Somewhat surprisingly, James Harden has now made the second-most three-pointers in NBA history after passing Ray Allen on Sunday. He trails only Curry, who added six more to his total against the Clippers.
“You think of the stepbacks and all the scoring, but you don’t think of second all-time in three-pointer made,” said Ty Lue. “I guess it is kind of like LeBron coming in as a pass-first guy, but now he is the all-time leading scorer.”
The three-time NBA scoring leader is not going to catch Curry in the all-time three-point ranks, but it is impressive for a player who has so much more to his game. When you think of Curry, the threes are the first thing that comes to mind. For Harden to trail only the greatest shooter in NBA history is quite an accomplishment.
Harden finished the game with a season-high 16 assists and also recorded two blocks and two steals. He has had to do most of the heavy lifting for Los Angeles this year as they wait on the potential return of Kawhi Leonard. Harden’s all-around efforts have translated into an 8-7 start for the Clippers.
“They know how to play the game. To hold this team to 99 points defensively says a lot about what we are doing. We are scrapping, we are competing. We just have to win games, whether they are ugly or not. However we got to, we just have to win games until we get number 2 (Leonard) back,” said Lue.
Many around the league counted the Clippers out coming into the year, but Harden has them right in the middle of the playoff race. If and when Leonard returns, this could be a very dangerous, under-the-radar team. Two wins against the Warriors only solidify that and will help them continue to build confidence.
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.