After taking care of business on the road, delivering victories in both games at the Staples Center in LA, the Golden State Warriors are looking forward to Wednesday night's potential closeout game.
Sunday afternoon, in Game 4, Golden State was locked in a difficult battle with the Clippers. Up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, the Dubs were all-in on taking a commanding 3-1 lead, and they would do so with a true team effort.
Just about everyone pitched in, which was welcome, as Steph Curry had a rare night in which he struggled mightily to find the bottom of the net. The Dubs' leading scorer in the regular season (27.3 ppg), Curry managed just 12 points on 3/14 shooting (1/9 3pt) and 5/5 from the free-throw line. He did add 10 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in 35 hard-fought minutes.
The struggles began and ended with Steph, though, as the Warriors' other two main offensive stars–Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson–were otherworldly, combining for 65 points. KD's stat line included: 33 points, seven rebounds, six assists, one steal, 12/21 field goals, 3/6 three-pointers, and 6/6 free-throws in 38 minutes. Klay's offensive effort was equally impressive: 32 points, one rebound, 12/20 field goals, 6/9 three-pointers, 2/2 free-throws in 40 minutes.
Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green rounded out the stellar effort from coach Steve Kerr's starting lineup. Bogut chipped in with eight points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. Draymond provided another typical, yet crucial, all-around effort: 10 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Andrew Bogut fouled out after 21 solid minutes, with 5:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. Curry, for his part, dealt with foul trouble throughout the game.
The back-and-forth matchup finally went to the Warriors 113-105, putting the eighth-seeded Clippers in a near-impossible 3-1 hole. Now, the Dubs would likely say they aren't looking past their current series, which is both wise and the "right" thing to say. However, it's hard to avoid the reality that the fourth-seeded Houston Rockets, against whom Golden State struggled during the regular season (home and away), have already moved on and await the winner of the Dubs-Clips matchup. What's more, they went through their first-round opponents, the fifth-seeded Utah Jazz, with a four-game sweep.
But, for now, there's only one mission: take care of the Clippers on Wednesday night, in Oakland, at Oracle Arena.