Warriors earn 10th straight win over rival Clippers
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Curry contributed five 3-pointers to a 50-point, third-quarter explosion Thursday night that propelled the Golden State Warriors to a 123-113 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Curry had 20 points and Kevin Durant 15 in the third period, which began with the Warriors trailing their Pacific Division rival 61-49.
The win completed a second consecutive 4-0 season-series sweep for the Warriors (48-9) over the Clippers (35-22), who once again were without standout guard Chris Paul.
Paul's replacement, Austin Rivers, had 11 first-half points, including three 3-pointers, as the Clippers used a 15-0 run to erase an early deficit and go into the halftime break with a 12-point lead.
Golden State scored only 18 points in the second quarter.
But the Warriors responded with 17-for-23 shooting (73.9 percent) in the third period, including 9-for-15 (60.0 percent) from 3-point range, to regain the lead for good en route to their 10th straight victory over the Clippers.
Golden State outscored Los Angeles 50-26 in the third quarter.
The 10-game winning streak equals the longest for either team in the Clippers-Warriors rivalry.
Curry hit 10 of his 16 shots overall and six of his 10 3-pointers en route to a game-high 35 points for the Warriors, who won for the 17th time in their last 20 games.
The 30-point game was the 15th of the season for the two-time Most Valuable Player, who also contributed seven rebounds and five assists to the win.
Durant, who left the court to have x-rays on his left pinkie (negative) in the second quarter, complemented his All-Star teammate with 25 points, a game-high 15 rebounds, and seven assists for Golden State, whose four wins over the Clippers this season came by an average of 21.5 points.
Klay Thompson hit a pair of 3-pointers and added 18 points for the Warriors, who shot 53.1 percent from the field and 50.0 percent (13-for-26) percent on threes.
Rivers and super sub Jamal Crawford finished with 19 points apiece for the Clippers, who had won their last four games before the All-Star break.
All-Star DeAndre Jordan aided the Los Angeles cause with 17 points and 11 rebounds, his team-leading 24th double-double of the season.
The hotly contested game featured four technical fouls, including the 13th of the season on the Clippers' Jordan and 12th on the Warriors' Draymond Green.
NOTES: The Warriors also had 10-game winning streaks over the Clippers from 1971-74 and 1976-78. ... Previously injured Warriors big men C Zaza Pachulia (strained rotator cuff) and PF David West (broken thumb) both returned to action Thursday. Pachulia regained his starting spot ahead of C JaVale McGee. ... The Clippers complete the dreaded Golden State-San Antonio back-to-back on Friday night when they host the Spurs. ... Clippers PG Chris Paul (thumb surgery) went through, according to Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers, a "hard" workout Thursday and has not been ruled out of Friday's game against the Spurs. Thursday's absence was his 14th straight. ... Asked before the game to explain his team standing pat at the trade deadline, Rivers insisted, "There was nothing there."