Warriors vs. Clippers: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

The Los Angeles Clippers are—in theory—a title contender in the Western Conference, but it is difficult to call any other team a contender if the Golden State Warriors play like they did Wednesday.

The defending Western Conference champions eviscerated Los Angeles at the Staples Center, 115-98, thanks to a balanced offensive attack. Klay Thompson led the way with 24 points after scoring 60 in his last game, but five different Warriors finished in double figures as Golden State tallied 32 assists on 42 made field goals.

Golden State won its 15th game in 16 tries and moved to 19-3 on the season and an impressive 10-1 on the road. The Clippers fell to 16-7 overall and 2-5 in their last seven games.

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The talent disparity between the two teams was on full display, as Chris Bleck of ESPN Chicago suggested:

Warriors sending a message tonight. Good start to the season Clips but you’re not in our league.

— Chris Bleck (@chrisbleck) December 8, 2016

Arash Markazi of ESPN said, “The Warriors have now beaten the Clippers seven straight times. This had been one of the better rivalries in the NBA.”

Even with the commanding win, the Warriors shot an uncharacteristic 7-of-30 (23.3 percent) from three-point range, which means it could have been much worse for the Clippers. The usual suspects were cold from downtown, as Stephen Curry went 0-of-8, and Kevin Durant shot 1-of-5.

Even J.J. Redick went 0-of-2 as his Clippers finished 8-of-26 (30.8 percent) from deep. It ended his streak of 77 straight games with a three-point basket, which was the sixth-largest streak in league history, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Thompson had plenty of help from his teammates for the victorious Warriors. Draymond Green (22 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST), Curry (19 PTS, 7 STL, 6 AST, 4 REB) and Durant (16 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST) all contributed in various ways.

Despite the loss, the Clippers had six score in double figures, highlighted by Jamal Crawford’s 21 points off the bench. Blake Griffin was a measly 5-of-20 from the field on his way to 12 points, and Chris Paul shot 1-of-6 from three-point range but still finished with 15 points. DeAndre Jordan notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Warriors didn’t even wait a quarter to seemingly bury the Clippers. Los Angeles built an early 10-9 lead, but Golden State finished the first with an overwhelming 28-9 run to seize a 37-19 advantage.

Seven different Warriors scored in the first quarter, and the team as a whole had 14 baskets on 13 assists. Curry led the way with 12 points, but nearly everyone got involved.

It wasn’t just the offense dictating the tone …

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