Paul George had 24 points before fouling out and the Los Angeles Clippers, playing without Kawhi Leonard, overtook the Golden State Warriors 130-125 on Wednesday night in San Francisco.
Norman Powell buried four late 3-pointers to aid the Clippers’ comeback.
Seeking a sixth straight win and a 500th career victory for coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors rode a big night from Stephen Curry to as much as a 15-point lead before the Clippers rallied.
Golden State led 106-94 with 9:29 remaining before the Clippers, having seen coach Tyronn Lue get ejected for receiving two technical fouls, went on a 10-0 run. George contributed a three-point play and Powell hit a 3-pointer as Los Angeles pulled within two with seven minutes left.
Curry’s eighth 3-pointer and a Draymond Green layup pushed Golden State to a 115-111 lead with 4:07 to go. Russell Westbrook then dropped in a layup and Powell nailed a go-ahead 3-pointer, giving the visitors the lead for good at 116-115 with 3:22 to go.
Powell added a fourth 3-pointer of the final period and Amir Coffey connected on one of his own, helping the Clippers pull away en route to their season-series-clinching third win over the Warriors in four meetings.
The late push occurred not only without Lue but also without George, who fouled out with 3:07 to play, and without Leonard, who sat out due to a left adductor strain.
Hitting four 3-pointers, James Harden paced the Clippers with 26 points to complement eight rebounds and a team-high seven assists. Powell, who had five threes, finished with 21 points. Westbrook scored 15 points, Coffey had 14 points and Ivica Zubac logged 13 points and a game-high-tying 10 rebounds.
On a night when he made seven or more 3-pointers for an NBA-record fourth consecutive game, Curry went 9-for-19 from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 41 points.
Brandin Podziemski chipped in with 25 points, seven rebounds and a game-high eight assists off the Golden State bench. Jonathan Kuminga added 13 points, Klay Thompson 12 and Andrew Wiggins 10. Green matched Zubac’s 10 rebounds and scored nine points.
–Field Level Media