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Los Angeles Clippers 97 FinalRecap | Box Score 118 Golden State Warriors
David Lee, PF 38 MIN | 7-11 FG | 1-1 FT | 6 REB | 2 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 15 PTS | +30Give credit to David Lee, who took full ownership of his play through the first three games and said he needs to be better. It was apparent early — even in the regular season — that the Warriors best chance at success this series was to go small with a 4-out lineup to stretch the floor, create spacing and get DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin from camping in the paint. In the first three games, this lineup was sparse as Mark Jackson opted to start Jermaine O’Neal and fail to use his best available lineup: Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Green-Lee. Credit to Mark Jackson for making the necessary adjustment (better late than never) and the results were clear early in the game. Lee had his most efficient game of the playoffs, hitting 7/11 of his shots from the field, grabbing six rebounds and setting good screens. Lee was able to bring DeAndre Jordan out of the paint and take him out of his comfort zone, which was camping in the paint for the first three games of the series. After registering 15 blocks and 39 rebounds through three games, Jordan was limited to two blocks and six rebounds in 25 minutes (he didn’t play in the 4Q). This is credit to the small lineup and bringing the lengthy, agile Jordan outside the paint. As a result, the Warriors attempted 29 shots in the paint and hit 19 of them. All of Lee’s buckets were inside, which can be directly attributed to his effort on the glass and the limited minutes for Jordan. Marl Jackson said this starting lineup will be his lineup for the remainder of the series, but expect the Clippers to adjust accordingly. An all-around solid game from Lee when the team needed it the most.

Andre Iguodala, SF 42 MIN | 6-8 FG | 8-10 FT | 4 REB | 9 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 4 TO | 22 PTS | +25Iguodala said after the game that he felt the best he had all season during Game 1, but because of foul trouble never really got into the flow of the game. He’s right, as he’s looked great in the first four games and had his best game of the playoffs (and one of the best during his injury riddled season) on Sunday. With Klay Thompson shading Chris Paul and Stephen Curry on Matt Barnes, Iguodala has earned the task of chasing JJ Redick every game (unless the Warriors are switching everything) and he’s done a solid job containing him aside from the Game 1 outburst in the 3Q. He’s been criticized all season for not being aggressive enough on the other end of the floor, and while his injuries may have played a large part of that, he stepped up when asked and had a fantastic all-around night with 22 points (8/10 from the free-throw line), hitting both of his shots from deep while also dishing out nine assists. He was suddenly the Swiss Army Knife the Warriors thought they were getting when they signed this past offseason. We really haven’t seen a healthy Andre this season, and if he says this is the healthiest he’s been all season I have no reason not to believe that. He can be a scary player on both ends, and the Warriors will continue to benefit from his stellar defense, but if he finds his spots on the other end and starts hitting the shots that the defense gives him (and the ones he takes), another intriguing element will open up for the Warriors.

Draymond Green, SF 41 MIN | 1-4 FG | 2-2 FT | 5 REB | 5 AST | 2 STL | 2 BLK | 2 TO | 4 PTS | +33You hear it a lot with Joakim Noah and Tony Allen: there are players in this league that have the gift of just giving their team an extra spark when it’s needed the most, mostly doing it on the defensive end. These players have extraordinary heart, do all the dirty work and make the right plays at the right times. Draymond Green is in this rare category of players that won’t be signed to the largest contracts, won’t grab headlines and won’t be opening SportsCenter anytime soon. Green’s line was once again pedestrian, but that’s not his game. The insertion of Green into the starting lineup was long overdue, and it was certainly made as a result of the poor play from the first three games of the series. He sets great screens, crashes the glass and can hit the open three if need be. He does a lot on that end without taking anything away from his teammates, which is perfect for a team dominated by its perimeter players. Green will never call his own number unless the situation calls for it, which is another reason why he’s one of the most important players on this team (and for its future as well). He’s an incredibly smart player and knows where to be at the perfect times. There were 50-50 calls this series that might go against that statement, but there was another moment in Game 4 that supports it: with 3:16 left in the 3Q, Chris Paul was driving passed halfcourt and with the Oracle crowd roaring, stepped in front of Paul and was able to knock him for his 4th foul. Did Green need to get in front of Paul? Absolutely not, but he knew the situation and put himself in the proper defensive position to notch Paul with the foul. It’s players like that that prove to be invaluable to a winning team and plays like this that keep their teams rolling in games. A stellar effort from Green, but at this point, should we be surprised?

Stephen Curry, PG 42 MIN | 10-20 FG | 6-7 FT | 7 REB | 7 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 33 PTS | +25We were waiting for one of these games from Curry. He wasn’t hitting his shots early in the series, but give a ton of credit to the Clippers, who forced great pressure on Curry every chance they could, doubling pick-and-roll’s and forcing anyone else to beat them. Instead of the constant post-up’s or ugly isolation heavy possessions, the Warriors offense was as fluid as it has been all season, swinging the ball, finding open players and most importantly, Curry finding open lanes and just enough room to put up his usual array of shots. These shots were few and far between the first three games, having to take contested shots in the halfcourt, almost zero opportunities in transition and just not looking himself. Curry mentioned after the game that he tried to set up his defender (Paul) early on so he could get good screens off him. Conversely, Paul said after the game he played terrible defense and while he knew Curry was bound to rebound at some point this series, he wouldn’t imagine it being that drastic. The Warriors new and improved lineup benefitted Curry the most, who was finding shots he wasn’t finding while also opening up driving lanes that weren’t open earlier in the series. The offense was operating beautifully, but the question now is if they can have a repeat performance. Can the Warriors shoot 55% from the field and hit 15 threes in another game this series? Of they’re capable, but history says the adjustments will be made and Doc Rivers will have something up his sleeve come the much anticipated (and critical) Game 5. This was the Curry of last postseason: hitting from everywhere on the floor, looking invincible while also setting up his teammates with pristine passes and limited mistakes. The Warriors will need two more games like this from Curry if they want to accomplish the monumental task of winning two of the next three games.

Klay Thompson, SG 29 MIN | 5-13 FG | 2-4 FT | 5 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 15 PTS | +12Thompson didn’t have quite the offensive game that his Splash Brother had, but once again his importance goes both ways as he played fantastic defense on Chris Paul once again. Game 1 aside, Paul has had to unleash his will on the offensive end in regards to his own points. This is in large part to Thompson, who has the length to bother Paul on every shot and the quickness to keep up with Paul in most cases. There wasn’t one area of Thompson’s offensive game that was stellar on Sunday, he just did everything relatively well. He grabbed five rebounds, dished out five assists (an higher number than usual) while hitting 5/13 shots. He was in foul trouble for most of the game, which contributed to this possibly less-than-usual aggressive play, but Thompson has been the most consistent Warriors player this series on both ends. He doesn’t need to score like Curry for this team to win games. He certainly can’t be invisible on that end, but it’s his defense on Paul that has proven to be most impressive. He’s not an easy cover, as he’s constantly moving, still holds some of the best handles in the league and can hit any shot on the floor if given enough space. Thompson has been great at not giving Paul the space needed for his shots and proving once again why he’s extremely important to this team’s success on a nightly basis. He know heads back to his hometown of Los Angeles in what will be an odd and unique environment.

Quote of the game: 

I was looking for any space I could get. And like I said, I come off screens, usually they have been trying to trap, and the passes is pretty much open and into the paint, and guys were able to make plays, but tonight I was able to step into a couple of quick 3s. And once you hit a couple early, it seems like there’s more space that opens up.” — Stephen Curry

Looking ahead:  The Warriors now head to Los Angeles in what can technically be considered a “home” game for the Clippers on Tuesday. Their win on Sunday guarantees another game at Oracle Arena, which will be slated for Thursday. Both games are set to tip-off at 7:30 PM PST.

Your Warriors starting-five shot chart of the night:

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Your Joey Crawford defensive play of the night:

Your Stephen Curry highlights of the night:

Your Curry family moment of the night:

Your Klay Thompson dunk of the night season:

Your Clippers reactions of the night:

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