 |
David Lee, PF 45 MIN | 9-18 FG | 6-9 FT | 13 REB | 2 AST | 24 PTS | +16
Lee’s defense was mediocre at best in this contest as he routinely allowed Griffin to go back to his right hand on the block, but he still produced on offense by hitting a few outside jumpers and getting to the rim for some strong finishes. |
 |
 |
Dorell Wright, SF 26 MIN | 0-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 3 AST | 0 PTS | +10
Dorell was essentially invisible in this contest. He couldn’t hit anything from the field and didn’t do much on the defensive end to warrant getting heavy minutes on this night. |
 |
 |
Ekpe Udoh, PF 38 MIN | 9-14 FG | 1-2 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 19 PTS | +13
Udoh looked like he belonged on this night as he blanketed DeAndre Jordan and also scored repeatedly in the paint on a series of post ups and jump shots to give the Dubs some production at the center spot. |
 |
 |
Monta Ellis, SG 38 MIN | 11-20 FG | 6-6 FT | 5 REB | 4 AST | 32 PTS | +17
Despite the physical defense he faced in the third quarter, Monta was undeterred against the Clippers and kept attacking them with a series of jumpers from the top of the key and beyond. He even successfully defended Paul on a few possessions. |
 |
 |
Stephen Curry, PG 33 MIN | 3-6 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 6 AST | 11 PTS | +16
Curry played well off of Monta tonight, making open jumper after open jumper. He got himself in the lane a few times and looked to pass instead of score but was still a solid performer. |
 |
Four Things We Saw
- The second unit was abysmal tonight. The bench players rushed shots and failed to properly share the ball to create high percentage shots.
- The Clippers turned up the defensive intensity midway through the third quarter and played physical basketball on the perimeter as well as the interior. Paul swiped at the ball and pushed guards away from the basket while Kenyon Martin and Reggie Evans basically mugged David Lee as well as the other Warriors big men. But more importantly, the Dubs never backed down.
- The Warriors perimeter defense was atrocious, particularly in the fourth quarter where they allowed the Clips to get a plethora of open 3-point shots.
- Udoh’s big offensive night will surely get a lot of publicity but his defense on Griffin in the second half was terrific. He pushed him out of the box and forced him to play with power since Blake could not beat him to any spot on the court. Griffin still had a few scoring opportunities, but Ekpe made him earn them in the second half.
Monta is an AMAZING player….no matter how often I’ve seen him play like last night, I’m still amazed at the kind of athlete he is and the talent he has. I LOVED the fact that Ekpe battled Griffen and didn’t let him embarrass him. That’s what we’ve needed for so long — toughness, intimidation, you won’t get to push the Warriors around anymore kind of mentality!!
I would give Curry an A+ just for doing his job…as a point guard. Create plays for teammates. Give assists.
How does Udoh not get an A+? That was probably the best game of his career. Tough grader, man!
Yeah. Come on. They beat the Clippers and none of the starting line up gets an A? The Bench deserves a F. But Ellis and Udoh deserve solid A’s. And you say nothing bad about Curry yet give him a C+. Yeah he wasn’t taking a lot of shots, but he did what he had to. At least give him a B?
Glad I didn’t have you for a teacher… ha