Once again, the Golden State Warriors got the better of the Los Angeles Clippers. This time, on Saturday night, Golden State defeated the Clippers 144-98 at the Oracle Arena.

Superstar Stephen Curry put on a monster of a show, especially in an explosive third quarter. Curry scored 45 points in the victory, but he scored 23 of them right after halftime. He shot an incredible 15-23 from the field overall and made 9 out of 15 attempts from behind the arc. One of those shots from deep included a half-court buzzer-beating shot to end the first half that really drained the Clippers’ confidence.

Golden State opens up big lead to close half

For most of the opening half, Los Angeles were at least in touching distance of the Warriors. They were able to respond to a majority of the runs from the home side, overcoming an early nine point deficit.  

However, the Clippers, without Chris Paul, turned the ball over 10 times during the first 12 minutes of action while only making nine field goal attempts. That is not a recipe for success against any team in the league, but especially the high-powered offense that the Golden State Warriors employ.

But then another run came that gave Golden State a slight edge over their rivals to the south. JaVale McGee pushed the Warriors’ lead to six before Curry scored the next five points to extend the lead to double digits for the first time in the game with 33 seconds left in the opening quarter.

To start the second quarter, Los Angeles had an answer to every Golden State shot, keeping within seven points in the opening minutes. Then the wheels really started to fall off the bus. Steve Kerr’s club proceeded to go on a game-changing run as the first half came to a close. The Warriors, led by their star-studded lineup, went on 20-9 run to go up by 21 by the time the teams headed into their respective locker rooms.

Curry explodes in the third to clinch the win

Steph Curry exploded to start the second half, as he looked like his former MVP self once more. Curry hit his first bucket of the half 46 seconds in, igniting an unfathomable quarter. He found his stroke and decimated the Clippers’ defense, draining shots from both inside and outside the three point line.

And, really, that was the difference in the game. Curry took the reins and guided his team to an astounding 46-point demolition of the Clippers.

Coming up

The Los Angeles Clippers will want to forget this night quickly. Luckily, they get to take the court again on Wednesday night when they travel to face the Phoenix Suns.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors are going to build on their four-game winning streak win they play the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday night.