Warriors take it to Clippers early

LOS ANGELES >> It took all of three possessions for the Warriors to remind everyone who they are and why they keep beating the Clippers.The first three times the Clippers got the ball Thursday, Golden State simply took it; a pretty apt metaphor for...

Warriors take it to Clippers early

LOS ANGELES >> It took all of three possessions for the Warriors to remind everyone who they are and why they keep beating the Clippers.

The first three times the Clippers got the ball Thursday, Golden State simply took it; a pretty apt metaphor for what’s happened with these two teams over the past three seasons or so.

Even without their starting power forward and their starting center, Golden State took another win from the Clippers, 133-120 at Staples Center.

It’s the ninth consecutive time they’ve beaten the Clippers.

The problems literally started right after the opening tip with Stephen Curry stealing the ball twice, leading to a pair of easy dunks. Rookie Patrick McCaw, who the Clippers passed on in the second round of this year’s draft, got a steal on the Clippers’ third possession, setting up Kevin Durant for two free throws.

Down 6-0 before they even attempted a shot, the Clippers turned the ball over again. Luckily, the ball ended up in JaVale McGee’s hands and he promptly handed it back.

Ten of the Clippers’ 15 turnovers happened in the first half.

And it wasn’t so much that Draymond Green and Zaza Pachulia were out with injuries; it was that Durant, Klay Thompson and Curry weren’t.

The Warriors’ top three offensive players commanded so much of the Clippers’ attention, and rightfully so, the other two players on the court almost didn’t matter.

With eyes on the Warriors’ All-Stars, McGee was free for 11 easy points, McCaw stroked in a pair of early 3s and James Michael McAdoo scooped up 10 points and nine rebounds, most of which were uncontested.

The Warriors feasted on the Clippers’ wandering focus, scoring 27 points off offensive rebounds, while the much bigger Clippers only had 15 second-chance points.

And with the Warriors’ role players established, the stars began to operate with more freedom. Curry, a longtime thorn in the Clippers’ side, launched and drained a high-arcing 3 in front of the Clippers bench, giving them a celebratory shimmy before jogging back down the court.

With Green sitting, Griffin went to work, scoring 31 points, including a vintage slam over Kevon Looney.

And after being down 21 early in the fourth, Jamal Crawford (21 points) and Austin Rivers (18 points) got the Clippers to within seven. But Durant and Thompson hit back-to-back 3s, icing the Golden State win.

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