LOS ANGELES — The Warriors didn’t have Steph Curry or Draymond Green, but they played with the type of intensity that such a disadvantageous situation requires.
Fighting for every rebound, applying ball pressure, trapping dribblers and wreaking havoc at any opportunity, the Warriors cut a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to three.
But the comeback effort went ultimately unfinished. 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 lone bright spot in a sluggish offensive night.
Golden State’s 23rd ranked offense in December is bound to fall even more after the Warriors put up 92 points and shot 7-for-38 (18%) from behind the 3-point arc.
Curry (knee injury management) 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’ve 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 perilous position with two games left in the calendar year.
The Warriors are who they are because of Curry and Green. So without them for a night, they needed to change.
Last time each of them 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 normal, initiating offense and running high pick-and-rolls.
Against the Clippers, what they missed in terms of star power and shot creation, the Warriors tried to make up with energy. Golden State chased down seven offensive rebounds in as many minutes to start the game. Even when they shot 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 hauled in 19 offensive rebounds and forced 21 turnovers.
Kuminga came off the bench and quickly became the offensive focal point upon his entrance. Steve Kerr kept him in for 18 straight minutes across 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 possessions with rebounds and intercepting an entry pass on the perimeter, leading to a Buddy Hield transition 3.
Like with that play, the Warriors tried to blow up the Clippers’ offensive sets before they began by denying Ivica Zubac and other initiators the ball. On offense, they played much more drive-and-kick ball than usual, adjusting 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 got benched for the fourth quarter.
Out of halftime, the Clippers realized Golden State had practically no outside shooting, so they packed the paint to stuff anything 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 on the other end. When the Warriors had Kuminga top-lock him, he solved that, too. Norman Powell and Derrick Jones Jr. supplied supplementary scoring, helping the Clippers stretch a nine-point halftime advantage to an 81-62 blowout.
Facing the 19-point deficit, the Warriors relentlessly turned the Clippers over with ball pressure. In a 90-second span, Golden State forced four straight giveaways. Lindy Waters III intercepted Harden then stripped him — two of four turnovers in the final frame for the Clippers guard.
As Harden melted down, Trayce Jackson-Davis flipped in a baby hook to make it a five-point game with just under five minutes left, capping an 18-4 run. Minutes later, Kuminga — initiating the offense in the halfcourt — found Moses Moody in the corner for a 3-pointer, inching within three.
Yet the Clippers reached back for a 9-0 knockout run in crunch time.
Effort was never a problem for the undermanned Warriors. But in the last two minutes, the Clippers had just enough to stave off Golden State.
