Kawhi Leonard and his LA Clippers have crushed the Golden State Warriors on the opening of the new Chase Center. The final result was 141-122 for the guests from LA, who showcased why many believe that they have the biggest chances of winning the NBA title.
The reigning champion and the NBA Finals MVP came back to haunt the Warriors once again, as he did in the playoffs last season. The Golden State fans will remember this guy forever, as he closed the old Oracle Arena and opened the new home of the Warriors by beating their favorites.
Kawhi scored 21 points in 21 minutes on the floor, along with 9 boards. Not very long, but while he played, the Warriors didn’t know what to do with him. Doc Rivers stated that his biggest star still plays at the same level as he did in the NBA Finals.
“I thought he started doing it in the second round last year,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “In the first round, he was just dominating, and then I thought as each round went on, he started playmaking more and more, but what he’s doing now is on another level.”
The Clippers came flying into this match, making a 14-0 opener which stunned the hosts who couldn’t hit a single shot in the first three minutes. GSW tried to come back, but the best thing they could do was to close the gap to four points before the Clippers once again sailed away to a bigger distance. The score at the halftime was 65-54 for the guests, but the real deal was about to happen in the third period.
Rivers’ team poured 46 points on the Warriors’ defense, and had a 104-73 lead with 3:56 left in that sequence. Some of the fans abruptly left the Chase Center, not wanting to witness any more of the humiliation their guys suffered. It was one pretty nasty night for the five-time consecutive champions of the Western Conference.
“Our defense was atrocious…Off the ball, on the ball, pick-and-roll, transition defense,” said frustrated Draymond Green after the game.
Meanwhile, Steve Kerr was saying that his team is in a different position than during the previous year. It appears that the Warriors’ coach might be suggesting that GSW needs time in order to fit in all the new pieces together and to adapt to the new circumstances.
“This is not a one-off, this is the reality,” Kerr said. “There’s going to be nights like this this year. You’ve got to play through it, you’ve got to keep fighting and keep getting better. That’s the plan.”
Steph Curry had 23 points, but shooting from the field 8 of 20, 2 for 11 from downtown. Russell added 20, while Erich Pascall and Jacob Evans had 14 each.
On the other side, Lou Williams scored 22 with 8 assists, Patrick Patterson had 20 drilling 6 threes, while young Ivica Zubac delivered a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Clippers’ next opponents are the Phoenix Suns, while Warriors play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road.
