Clippers hold off Warriors for 7th win in 8 games

INGLEWOOD — All the Clippers had to do was hold on for four seconds. Four seconds and they would have another victory, but as they discovered, a lot can happen in a brief period.

Clinging to a one-point lead, the Clippers switched on defense then held their breath as Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler lofted a 17-foot turnaround jumper. Clippers veteran Nicolas Batum, along with a couple of others, rushed to contest the shot, and it sailed wide, leaving the Clippers with a 103-102 victory on Monday night at the Intuit Dome.

“He’s been in this situation a couple of times in his career, so I had to step up and try to make a stop,” Batum said. “He had a good look. It was a good stop and a good win for us.”

The Clippers’ defensive play was key on a night when shots didn’t fall easily for star Kawhi Leonard, especially from 3-point range.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP finished with 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds but missed all eight of his 3-point attempts, including one with less than 10 seconds left that could have given the Clippers breathing room down in the final seconds.

Instead, the Clippers couldn’t exhale until after Butler missed his shot that gave the Clippers (13-22) their seventh win in the past eight games.

“We put (Ivica Zubac) on the basketball to try to make it a tough pass,” Coach Tyronn Lue said of the last play. “I think Nico switched onto him and then Kawhi came late to just have size and length. And we did a good job not fouling, staying down and making him take a tough shot.”

Warriors superstar Steph Curry buried back-to-back 3-pointers to pull the Warriors within one 101-100 with 1:05 left. Kris Dunn gave the Clippers a three-point cushion with two free throws after Curry fouled out, then Draymond Green cut the margin to 103-102 on a driving layup with 32.6 seconds left.

Clippers forward Jon Collins said it’s “annoying” when Curry gets going.

“It really is. Damn near the whole game plan is around trying to stop him or stop his emphasis on him from everybody else getting those easy buckets. So, a little bit annoying, man,” Collins said.

“Dude, pulling off up (at) halfcourt, hitting three balls. It’s like, what can you do?”

Curry was hampered by foul trouble throughout, picking up his fourth in a close call under the basket, then Kerr’s ire got the best of him. Kerr was ejected with 7:57 remaining in the game after becoming irate when Collins wasn’t called for goaltending. A shouting Kerr pursued the referees along the sideline and had to be restrained by his assistants before getting tossed.

Curry picked up his fifth foul two minutes later, then fouled out with 42 seconds left, finishing with a game-high 27 points, four rebounds and six assists despite an subpar shooting night (9 for 23 overall, 4 for 15 from 3-point range). He fouled out for the first time since a Dec. 17, 2021 game in Boston.

“We knew he’d make some shots, but we just wanted to stay locked in and not let his shot make it affect everything else we want to do defensively,” Lue said. “And I thought our guys did a good job with that.”

Besides Leonard, four other Clippers scored in double figures, including rookie Kobe Sanders, who started in place of James Harden (shoulder soreness). Sanders scored a career-high 20 points in 36 minutes, while Collins added 18. Dunn had 16 points, three rebounds and six assists, and Zubac had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Warriors (19-18) overcame a sluggish start and pulled to within 68-62 late in the third quarter on three foul shots by Curry. A 3-pointer by Sanders put the Clippers ahead 71-62 and on their way to a 12-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Warriors closed within four early in the fourth before the Clippers outscored them 16-7 to lead 94-81. Golden State then ran off nine straight, including seven by Butler, to get within 94-90 with 3:06 left.

Three baskets, including five points from Dunn, helped the Clippers create some distance at 101-94 with just 1:48 to go, but Curry countered with his consecutive 3-pointers with 1:05 left to set up the dramatic finish.

The Warriors are having somewhat of a down season so far, sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference. The Clippers, though, weren’t taking chances and jumped out to a quick lead. They led by 13 shortly into the second quarter before Golden State cut the margin to 55-51 by halftime.

And that was without Harden.

Harden experienced soreness in his right shoulder a day earlier and it intensified during the morning shootaround, according to team officials. The 12-time All-Star was ruled out two hours before tipoff, creating another hole in the Clippers’ starting lineup.

Having already lost Bradley Beal to a season-ending injury, Zubac was sidelined for two weeks with an ankle injury before rejoining the team and coming off the bench against the Celtics. He was back in his starting role Monday.

But just when Zubac came back, forward Derrick Jones Jr. suffered a knee injury against the Celtics and is expected to miss six weeks. Now, Harden is nursing a shoulder issue with no timetable given for his return.

Lue decided to have Sanders to start in Harden’s place, a big ask of a rookie.

“He’s pretty good,” Lue said of Sanders. “He’s guarding some great players and so you just can’t get discouraged by tough shots, things like that. But he has to take that next (defensive) step, especially with DJ being out now.”

On a night that had a playoff-like atmosphere – and included rapper Snoop Dogg doing commentary for the Peacock broadcast of the game – the Clippers didn’t let their depleted roster affect them. They dominated early despite six turnovers in the first quarter to take a 31-19 lead. But as their miscues increased, so did the Warriors’ intensity.

Golden State struggled to find the basket and shot 26.9% from the field and made just 2 of 13 from 3-point range (15.4%) in the opening quarter. But then Curry got going and made a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter to get the Warriors back into the game before halftime.

The Clippers had 12 turnovers in the first half and 20 for the game, while Golden State finished with just seven.

Overall, Lue called it a good win.

“I know we’ve been struggling, especially in that situation (losing leads) in the last two months,” Lue said. “So, to win a game like that, the way we got a big lead and we let it go. We still found a way to make plays, make free throws and make one stop to win the game. We did it.”