Warriors 124, Clippers 117
LOS ANGELES -- Guard Stephen Curry scored a game-high 40 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors rallied for a 124-117 over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night at Staples Center.
Guard Klay Thompson added 25 points, forward Harrison Barnes had 21 and forward Draymond Green chipped in 19 points and nine assists as the Warriors (13-0) are two wins shy of tying the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and the 1948-49 Washington Capitals for the NBA's best start at 15-0.
Point guard Chris Paul, who missed the past two games with a sore groin, led Los Angeles (6-5) with 35 points and eight assists. Forward Blake Griffin finished with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Clippers, who have lost four in a row to the Warriors.
A 3-pointer by Thompson gave the Warriors their first lead at 115-113, but guard Clippers Jamal Crawford, who scored 15 points, answered with a trey to give the Clippers the lead back. However, Curry nailed a 3-pointer with 1:47 left, and Golden State never trailed again.
Curry scored on a drive and followed with a pair of foul shots with 40.5 seconds left for a five-point Golden State lead. Curry added two more free throws to seal the win.
Los Angeles got off to a roaring start, racing to a 41-25 advantage at the end of the first quarter. It was a season best for points in the opening quarter. The Clippers also shot a season-high 70.6 percent from the floor compared to 44.4 percent for the Warriors in the quarter.
Paul scored 18 points on 7-of-7 shooting, including all three of his 3-pointers, in the first quarter.
The Clippers led 68-54 at the break.
The Warriors rallied in the third quarter. After being down as much as 18, they closed to 91-85 when Green drained a 3-pointer to end the quarter. Golden State outscored Los Angeles 31-23 in the third.
Both clubs performed without key players. Golden State was without reserve guards Shaun Livingston (strained left hip flexor) and Leandro Barbosa (virus), while Los Angeles played without guard J.J. Redick (back spasms) wasn't available.
NOTES: Golden State entered the game leading the NBA in several categories, including points per game (114.2), field goal percentage (.481), 3-pointers per game (12.1), point differential (plus-15.3) and fast-break points (23.8). The Warriors also led the league in offensive rating (110.7). ... Los Angeles ranked third in points per game (105.1), trailing Golden State and the Oklahoma City Thunder (110.8) and a shade ahead of the Phoenix Suns (105.0). ... Clippers C DeAndre Jordan extended his consecutive games streak in the regular season to 333. Jordan, though, is far off the franchise mark of 595 games by Randy Smith. ... The two teams don't clash again until Feb. 20 at the Staples Center. ... Both clubs resume play Friday. The Warriors host the Chicago Bulls. The Clippers visit the Portland Trail Blazers.