Warriors lose to Clippers; Steph Curry injured his ankle

SAN FRANCISCO – The Chase Center crowd was ready to explode all night and her team got off to a strong start to the season to set up an expected home opener.

Then it held its breath. Twice.

Late in the third quarter, star Steph Curry twisted his left ankle while trying to clear a screen. He limped to the bench and stretched with the elastic band.

Curry returned with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter to make his usual substitution. But on the Warriors’ first possession, he twisted his ankle again and had to be helped to the trainer’s room.

“He’s doing fine,” Steve Kerr said after the game. “He used the word ‘mild’ or ‘moderate.’ Apparently he’s sprained his ankle many times before, so he doesn’t think it’s that bad. But obviously this is a concern. I’m going to get an MRI this evening.”

With the 36-year-old sidelined for the remainder of the game with a sprained left ankle, his teammates valiantly erased the Clippers’ double-digit lead but ultimately lost 112-104. Golden State (2-1) committed too many turnovers and gave up too many second-chance points in what amounted to their first loss of the season.

Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors’ comeback bid, scoring 11 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, but the Clippers’ possession advantage was too much to overcome. Through the first three quarters, Los Angeles attempted 23 more field goals than the Warriors. They combined for 14 offensive rebounds and forced the Warriors into 20 turnovers.

“We have to understand that most games are like that — they come down to a small number of possessions,” Kerr said. “And if you give up 10 possessions, it’s going to be really hard to win.”

The Warriors won their first two games of the season by an NBA-record 77 points, starting as great as they can be. They upped the tempo, tightened up their defense, ran a 12-man rotation and made threes. Everyone ate and the mood that started at the training camp in Hawaii was high.

But those were the matchups against Portland and Utah that lottery teams expected. A more fair fight awaited them on Sunday.

The Clippers, despite losing Paul George to free agency (after a brief play-in flirtation with the Warriors) and indefinitely suspending star Kawhi Leonard, are in Golden State’s weight class. They are deep, slender, big and go through James Harden.

They made sure the Warriors’ first home game wasn’t like their first two games.

Golden State lost almost the entire game. Buddy Hield, who led the Warriors in scoring through the first two games, struggled to come off the Clippers’ bench of long wings.

The Warriors were particularly troubled by Ivica Zubac (23 points, 17 rebounds) and Derrick Jones Jr. Jones hit a pair of threes and completed fast breaks while Zubac was a handful on the glass. By halftime, the Clippers center had 13 points and 10 rebounds, constantly creating extra possessions with tip-ins.

Los Angeles held the Warriors scoreless for the first four minutes of the second quarter and ultimately sent Golden State into the locker room at halftime with a 59-54 lead. The Clippers attempted nine more field goals than the Warriors, easily winning the possession battle thanks to their board work and Golden State’s 12 turnovers in the first half.

The Warriors opened the second half with three turnovers, prompting Steve Kerr to call a timeout less than two minutes into the third quarter.

Curry (18 points, six assists in 27 minutes) had flashes of brilliance, such as when he passed the ball to himself, went behind the back, leaving Norman Powell in the dust, and fired a shot at the rim. But he committed six turnovers, setting a substandard ball-judging standard.

The Clippers always had counters to Golden State’s offense. They made mini-runs only for Jones to hit a corner 3 and Powell to make his way to the basket. The Warriors screened Harden well (23 points on 6-of-19 shooting), especially in isolation, but the Clippers’ secondary pieces were effective.

With 2:43 left in the third quarter, Curry limped off the court after injuring his left ankle. He sat on the bench, using exercise tape to warm up as his team continued to play, trying to take the lead against Los Angeles.

Curry returned with 8:08 left in the fourth quarter with his team trailing 95-85. But moments later, he twisted his ankle again while trying to set up a pick.

When Curry left, the Warriors trailed by 10 points. An interception and goal by Kevon Looney cut the lead to 101-95 with five minutes left. A minute later, Looney scored as a result of contact with the basket and brought Golden State a few steps closer. He then committed a foul in the backcourt, denying Zubac an out-of-bounds pass.

Wiggins drained a 3 to make it 101-100, but that was the closest they got. Draymond Green, who had been struggling, sat for the final eight minutes of the game as Kerr used scoring combinations.

The Warriors believe their roster of 13 NBA-caliber players will help them weather the natural bumps and bruises of a long season. But losing Curry would be different.

“I don’t know,” Kerr said when asked who might have to cut some slack if Curry misses time. “Let’s see. Wiggs is off to a great start and had a big night tonight. He’s an obvious candidate to get more of the ball. We have a strong team, a lot of guys who can play.”

Originally published: October 27, 2024, 8:08 pm

Warriors lose to Clippers; Steph Curry injured his ankle

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