Going into Game 4 most of the focus was on Donald Sterling, but most were wondering how the Clippers would speak out on the matter in their first game since the audio conversation was released. This whole fiasco has garnered a lot of media attention and it is far from over. A game had to be played today and it begun with the Clippers taking off their warmups and tossing them in the middle of the court. The players chose to wear red plain shirts with no logo in an act of protest. This game was crucial for the Warriors, they did not want to go to Los Angeles down 3-1.
1st Quarter
Oracle Arena had an amazing energy from the tip and the players benefitted from it. The Warriors got out to a fast start and quickly led 25-10. While some expected the Clippers to have a letdown game after being distracted these last couple of days, they played a decent 1st quarter. The Warriors were just simply better and were actually knocking down some shots. Before Game 4, Curry had only hit six three pointers all series, but in the first quarter he already had five. Thompson was also knocking down some shots and the Warriors were also attacking the hole for easy buckets. The Warriors were on a roll and ended the first with a 39-24 lead.
2nd Quarter:
It slowed down a bit to start the second quarter, but the Warriors continued to drive to the hole and be active in the paint. Jermaine O’Neal, David Lee, and Draymond Green all contributed and got on the board early. Two Curry free throws would extend the Warriors’ lead to 57-36 and it looked like the game was getting out of reach for the Clippers. Curry would end the half with 21 points and Lee was not far behind with 13, but the play of the game belonged to Thompson with an emphatic dunk on Glen Davis. The Warriors would score 66 points in the first half and only conceded 48.
3rd Quarter
The second half began with an 8-2 run from the Clippers, cutting the lead down to 68-56. Andre Iguodala responded with five quick points and the Warriors were able to extend their lead. Iguodala made a huge impact in the third quarter and chipped in 10 points, helping the Warriors fend off the Clippers, but they would not go down without a fight. A Redick three pointer cut the lead down to 82-71 with 2:24 remaining in the quarter. Curry was relatively quiet for the majority of the quarter, but would not let the fourth quarter begin without scoring some buckets. With less than a minute remaining in the third, Curry scored five points and gave the Warriors 89-71 lead going into the fourth.
4th Quarter
Jamal Crawford had a good game tonight and he got hot early in the fourth. He scored 10 quick points in less than three minutes, but the Clippers could not stop the Warriors on the defensive end and the Warriors were able to maintain their lead. Paul would sink three straight free throws and cut the lead to 10 at the halfway mark. The Warriors would respond with a 9-0 run and they would not look back. Curry would finish the game with 33 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds. Iguodala was the second leading scorer for the Warriors with 22 points and Lee, Thompson, and Barnes all finished with 15. The series is now headed to Los Angeles tied at two games a piece.