Reeling Warriors fall to .500 with shorthanded loss to Clippers despite comeback effort – The Mercury News

LOS ANGELES — The Warriors didn’t have Steph Curry or Draymond Green, but they played with the type of intensity that such an adverse situation demands.

Fighting for every rebound, applying ball pressure, catching dribblers and wreaking havoc at every opportunity, the Warriors cut a 19-point fourth quarter deficit to three.

But the comeback effort ultimately went uncompleted. Jonathan Kuminga scored a career-high 34 points on 11-for-19 shooting and 11-for-14 at the foul line, but he was the only bright spot in a sluggish offensive night.

Golden State’s 23rd-ranked offense in December is bound to drop even more after the Warriors put up 92 points and shot 7-for-38 (18%) from behind the 3-point arc.

Curry (dealing with knee injury) and Green (back contusion) each sat out the first night of a back-to-back, requiring the Warriors to summon a miracle. The fourth quarter teased one, but ended anticlimactically in a 102-92 defeat.

After starting the season 12-3, the Warriors are .500. They have lost 12 of their last 15 games, a slide that has spanned five weeks of uninspiring play, a constant search for lineup solutions and a motivational speech from Curry. Golden State (15-15) is in a dangerous position with two games left in the calendar year.

The Warriors are what they are because of Curry and Green. So without them one night, they had to be changed.

The last time they each missed a game, the Warriors beat the Rockets behind a season-high 33 points from Kuminga. The fourth-year wing had the ball in his hands much more than usual, initiating attacks and running high pick-and-rolls.

Against the Clippers, what they lacked in star power and shot creation, the Warriors tried to make up for with energy. Golden State chased down seven offensive rebounds in as many minutes to start the game. Even shooting 30% from the floor and 3-for-12 from deep – including a pair of airballs – they won the first quarter by two. Brandin Podziemski rattled in a triple to put the Warriors ahead before the buzzer.

In the game, the Warriors grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and forced 21 turnovers.

Kuminga came off the bench and quickly became the offensive focal point upon his entry. Steve Kerr held him in for 18 straight minutes in the first and second quarters.

He earned the extended look, scoring 13 points including 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Kuminga also made an impact defensively, closing out possessions with rebounds and intercepting an inbounds pass on the perimeter that led to a Buddy Hield transition 3.

As with that game, the Warriors tried to blow up the Clippers’ offensive set before beginning by denying Ivica Zubac and other initiators the ball. On offense, they played a lot more drive-and-kick ball than usual and adjusted with their personnel. Dennis Schroder (7 points on 3-for-11 shooting) also ran a healthy amount of pick-and-rolls, but couldn’t find the net and was benched in the fourth quarter.

Coming out of the break, the Clippers realized Golden State had virtually no outside shooting, so they packed the paint to stop something in the paint. They went 0-for-8 from 3 and scored just 19 points in the third quarter. The only chance they had to reliably score was in transition.

James Harden targeted the smaller Schroder at the other end. When the Warriors got Kuminga in a top lock, he solved that too. Norman Powell and Derrick Jones Jr. delivered the extra scores, helping the Clippers stretch a nine-point halftime lead into an 81-62 blowout.

With a 19-point deficit, the Warriors relentlessly turned the Clippers with ball pressure. In a span of 90 seconds, Golden State forced four straight giveaways. Lindy Waters III intercepted Harden and then stripped him — two of four turnovers in the final frame for the Clippers guard.

When Harden melted down, Trayce Jackson-Davis flipped in a baby hook to make it a five-point game with just under five minutes remaining, capping an 18-4 run. Minutes later, Kuminga — who initiated the halfcourt offense — found Moses Moody in the corner for a 3-pointer, inching within three.

Still, the Clippers rallied for a 9-0 knockout run in crunch time.

Effort was never an issue for the undermanned Warriors. But in the final two minutes, the Clippers had just enough to fend off Golden State.