Warriors explosive third quarter leads them to 115-91 victory over Clippers

The Golden State Warriors overcame one of their ugliest first halves of the season in an impressive 115-91 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Now 33-30 on the season, the Dubs are in sole posession of the fifth seed in the Western Conference and remain just one game back of the Suns for the fourth seed. With Steph Curry slated to return from his injury on Sunday, the Warriors seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time.

The Warriors trailed 56-45 at the half, but it was hard to believe that Golden State had kept things that close. Golden State made just 33% of their field-goal attempts in the first half and went 3-for-23 from beyond the arc. However, stout defense that prevented the Clippers from pulling away alongside consistently drawing fouls and getting to the free-throw line kept things close.

Then, in the third quarter, Jordan Poole caught fire from deep and led the Warriors offensively as they went on to outscore the Clippers 42-16 in the third quarter. Ever since Kawhi Leonard and Paul George joined the Clippers, Los Angeles has struggled to end dry spells offensively. Unable to find a point guard that meshes with the Clippers stars, their offense tends to get stuck in the mud. Once the Warriors tied things up at the halfway mark in the quarter, it seemed like the Clippers folded.

Clippers head coach Ty Lue pulled his starters with more than seven minutes left in regulation, and the Warriors coasted to a 24-point victory.

Poole led the Warriors with a game-high 34 points. Klay Thompson was tied with Jonathan Kuminga for second on the team in scoring (19 points) and added 11 rebounds. Draymond Green filled the boxscore with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists.

The Warriors will play again tomorrow night against the New Orleans Pelicans. Opening tip off is scheduled for 7:00 PM Pacific.