Third-quarter surge powers Warriors past Clippers

Jordan Poole erupted for 22 of his game-high 34 points in the third quarter as the Golden State Warriors rallied for a 115-91 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, March 2 (Friday, March 3, Manila time) in San Francisco.

Playing once again without Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors fell behind by 12 points shortly after halftime before flipping the game in a one-sided third period.

Poole led a 42-point offensive explosion in the quarter by sinking four three-pointers, one two-pointer, and eight free throws, single-handedly changing the team’s fortunes after Golden State shot 3-of-23 from three-point range in the first half.

Equally important was the Golden State defense, which not only limited the Clippers to 16 third-quarter points en route to a 15-point lead, but then held the visitors without a field goal for the first 5:44 of the final period while expanding the advantage to 98-74.

With both teams looking ahead to the second half of back-to-backs on Friday night, reserves dominated the final six minutes as Golden State moved a game ahead of the Clippers in the Western standings with a second win in three head-to-head meetings this season.

Poole finished 9-for-20 overall, 5-for-12 on three-point attempts and 11-for-12 at the line en route to his 11th 30-point game of the season.

Klay Thompson chipped in with a career-high 11 rebounds to complement 19 points for the Warriors, and Draymond Green flirted a triple-double before leaving the game with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and a game-high 9 assists.

Jonathan Kuminga (19) and Kevon Looney (11) also scored in double figures for the Warriors. Donte DiVincenzo matched Thompson’s team-high rebound total with 11, helping Golden State improve to 4-0 on a home stand that ends Friday against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Kawhi Leonard had a team-high 21 points and Mason Plumlee a game-high 20 rebounds to lead the Clippers, who lost their fourth game in a row.

Plumlee’s board total was one shy of his career high, set in February 2021 as a member of the Detroit Pistons, and were part of a double-double with 12 points.

Eric Gordon added 16 points and Paul George 11 for the Clippers, who wound up 9-for-43 (20.9%) on three-point attempts. – Rappler.com