Rally Falls Short vs. GS

The Los Angeles Clippers nearly knocked off the Golden State Warriors, but their comeback fell just short in Saturday’s Western Conference showdown.

Paul Pierce totaled two points and two assists in 16 minutes of the 115-112 loss, but played a pivotal roll in the late-game rally. The Clips trailed by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter before The Truth triggered a 13-0 run against the defending NBA champions. Down 115-99 with 1:39 remaining, Paul drove toward the basket before kicking it out to CJ Wilcox for a corner three.

The Warriors mishandled the ball in late-game situations, and the Clippers took advantage. Wesley Johnson collected a steal before dishing to Pablo Prigioni for his second 30-footer in 20 seconds. Wilcox nabbed another steal, but with a chance to knot it at the buzzer, his three-point heave fell short.

“I jumped in the air,” Wilcox said, “was going to make a pass but couldn’t make the pass so I tried to throw something up.”

Although the Warriors struggled to secure the ball down the stretch, they led throughout the game thanks to unselfish play. Of the magnanimous defending champions’ 42 field goals, 32 were assisted.

“They played way better throughout the game,” coach Doc Rivers said. “They trusted so much more offensively… I thought it was a horrible offensive night (for us) that created a horrible defensive night.”

Draymond Green recorded his NBA-leading 11th triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, Klay Thompson scored a game-high 32 points, and Stephen Curry added 23. Golden State shot 51 percent from the floor and 36 percent (11-of-31) from three, while LAC shot 45 and 36 percent (13-of-36), respectively.