2019.04.13 (Warriors vs. Clippers) Game 1 – See blog below
2019.04.13 (Warriors vs. Clippers) Game 1 – Full Game Highlights!
Curry Leads all Scorers! Warriors win Game 1 over Clippers 121-104
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, left, Kevin Durant, center, celebrates a score versus the Los Angeles Clippers in the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Saturday, April 13, 2019, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
2019.04.13 – Stephen Curry lead all scorers with 38 points and made eight 3-pointers to give him the most made in NBA postseason history.
The top-seeded Golden State Warriors began their quest for a three-peat playoff run by running away from the Los Angeles Clippers for a 121-104 victory in game 1 at Oracle Arena.
Curry Starts 3 Peat Quest! Warriors vs. Clippers NBA Playoffs game #1
2019.04.10 – First-round games in all eight series will be played starting Saturday and Sunday.
2019.04.10 – The two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors will start their quest for a three peat title against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The drama of the regular season went all the way to the very end of the regular season, with seven of the eight first-round playoff match-ups not being clinched until the final night was in the books — the last three of them, out West, going down to literally the final moments.
“It’s not going to be as easy as people think it is,” Warriors star Kevin Durant said.
That’s the beauty of the playoffs. It’s not supposed to be easy.
First-round games in all eight series will be played starting Saturday and Sunday. The second round cannot begin until April 27 at the earliest, the conference finals couldn’t start before May 12 and the NBA Finals will start on May 30.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
The only match-up in the NBA that was set before Wednesday night was No. 4 Boston against No. 5 Indiana.
Everything else, just like all the West match-ups, fell into place during Game 82s on Wednesday.
The Bucks, the NBA’s top overall seed, play the Pistons. No. 2 Toronto draws No. 7 Orlando, with the Magic in the postseason for the first time since 2012. And No. 3 Philadelphia — a team wrapped in intrigue right now — will face No. 6 Brooklyn.
Joel Embiid played in only 10 of the 76ers’ 24 games since the All-Star break, and general manager Elton Brand told reporters Wednesday that “it is possible” the team’s best scorer and rebounder won’t be ready to start the playoffs.
Embiid isn’t the only injury situation that made headlines Wednesday: The Celtics announced that Marcus Smart will miss four to six weeks with an injury to his left oblique — a massive blow to Boston.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Portland rallied from 28 points down on Wednesday against Sacramento — which blew a lead that large for the second time this season.
Denver finished on a 15-0 run to beat Minnesota.
And with that, the West bracket was shaken up one last time before it was finally set.
Top-seeded Golden State will face the eighth-seeded Clippers, a matchup that was known after early results Wednesday. The rest went right down to the wire, with No. 2 Denver facing No. 7 San Antonio, No. 3 Portland getting No. 6 Oklahoma City and No. 4 Houston facing No. 5 Utah. It was a worst-case for Houston, which entered the season’s final night in place to finish second, third or fourth in the West.
The way the results fell means the Rockets, if they get past the Jazz, would likely see the Warriors in the second round — and not in the Western Conference finals. So there will be no rematch of last year’s title series out West, a tussle where the Rockets had a 3-2 series lead before Chris Paul’s hamstring balked and the Warriors went on to advance and reach the NBA Finals.
The Nuggets clinched the No. 2 seed with their big rally to top the Timberwolves. The Blazers got to the No. 3 spot with their wild comeback to beat the Kings. The combination of those results dropped Houston to the No. 4 seed.
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
All times Eastern
Brooklyn at Philadelphia, 2:30 p.m.
Orlando at Toronto, 5 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Golden State, 8 p.m.
San Antonio at Denver, 10:30 p.m.
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
All times Eastern
Indiana at Boston, 1 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Portland, 3:30 p.m.
Detroit at Milwaukee, 7 p.m.
Utah at Houston, 9:30 p.m.
SCORING MARK
NBA teams averaged 111.2 points this season, the 11th-highest mark in league history.
It’s also the highest scoring clip in the league since 1970-71.
Records were set for 3-pointers made and attempted for the seventh straight season, along with total points for the fifth time in the last six years. NBA teams scored 273,573 points this season, fueled by new rules that allowed offenses more freedom of movement, a league-wide commitment to playing at a faster pace — and the still-growing love affair with the 3-pointer.
In the 2012-13 season, NBA teams averaged 20 attempts from 3-point range — which was a record at that time. This season, they averaged 32 attempted 3s per game.
FAREWELL
A pair of legends played for the final time Wednesday night — and went out in style.
Dwyane Wade had a triple-double for Miami at Brooklyn, 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Dirk Nowitzki had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Dallas at San Antonio.
The Heat and Mavericks both lost, which was irrelevant to both clubs. The nights were about Wade and Nowitzki, both All-Stars this season.
Read more at: Golden State Warriors Media Services / More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the Golden State Warriors, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
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Warriors vs LA Clippers – 2019 Video Highlights
2019.04.07 (Warriors vs. Clippers) See blog below
2019.04.07 (Warriors vs. Clippers) Full Game Highlights!
Curry Soaking Nostalgia! Warriors #1 in West – rout Clippers
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) with a layup against Los Angeles Clippers’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, April 7, 2019, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
2019.04.07 – Soaking in the franchise’s nostalgia of yesteryear, Stephen Curry scored 27 points and helped the Golden State Warriors clinch the Western Conference’s top seed with a win in their final regular-season game at Oracle Arena, beating the Los Angeles Clippers 131-104 at Oracle Arena.
Kevin Durant added 16 points and seven assists, making six of seven field goals, as the Warriors players opted to honor the past by sporting throwback white “We Believe” jerseys worn during the 2007 playoff run that snapped a 12-year postseason drought.
“These jerseys hold a special place in Warriors’ fans hearts and this organization and the history of this organization,” Draymond Green said.
A banner commemorating 47 years at Oracle was unveiled afterward and it will move across the bay to hang inside new Chase Center in San Francisco where the Warriors will play next season.
Steve Kerr sure would like to properly thank the loyal fans at Oracle Arena one more time. In June. With another championship in hand.
“Hopefully we’ll have another send-off in a grander manner,” Kerr said.
“Let me just say that for 47 years, Warriors fans have stuck with us through thick and thin,” Kerr told the crowd moments after the final buzzer, also thanking arena staff. “Let’s be honest, most of those years have been a little thin.”
Landry Shamet scored 17 points with five 3-pointers for a Clippers team still missing Patrick Beverley because of a right hip pointer. Los Angeles dropped into a seventh-place tie with San Antonio in the West by losing its third straight. Now, the Clippers play the Jazz in the regular-season finale Wednesday and with various scenarios very well could be returning to Oracle next weekend for Game 1 in the first round of the playoffs.
Green just missed a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in Golden State’s seventh win over the last eight games and fifth in a row at home. DeMarcus Cousins contributed 12 points, nine boards and four assists playing with foul trouble.
Even with the playoffs around the corner, this was a night of celebrating the end of a nearly five-decade run in the arena.
“Are they not going to make the playoffs?” Clippers coach Doc Rivers quipped. “I hope they don’t make it. That would be phenomenal. I’m just saying, it would be.”
The Warriors beat the Clippers for the 16th time in the last 18 match-ups and 15th in 17 at home.
Golden State made 10 of its first 13 shots — Durant hitting his initial four and Curry starting 3 for 3. Curry wound up just 3 for 10 from deep.
“We just got frustrated with not making shots and against them you have to make shots,” Rivers said.
HONORING ORACLE
The Warriors played their 1,936th regular-season game at Oracle, where the first game was held on Oct. 24, 1967, against Cincinnati. Golden State’s overall record in the venue: 1,166-770.
“Since it’s not really the last game here, I know it’s a ceremonial final game, I didn’t get too sentimental or emotional or anything because hopefully we will be coming back here and playing a lot more games in the next couple months,” Kerr said. “I’ll probably hold off onto the emotion until it actually happens.”
Kerr narrated an appreciation video to fans and the arena on a night old favorites such as Sleepy Floyd, Rick Barry, Adonal Foyle and Marreese Speights were on hand for the festivities.
The Oakland Symphony performed at halftime as more highlights played.
“I think sports history is going to remember those teams that played here,” Shamet said.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Rivers would like to play the Warriors in the playoffs, just not in the first round. “If you want to win, you’ve got to play somebody at some point. We’re not dodging,” Rivers said. “I just want to be healthy and playing great in the playoffs. Do we want to play the Warriors in the playoffs? Yes. Do we want to do it in the first round? Probably not, but you’ve got to take it when you get it.” … Los Angeles is 0-4 without Beverley, who missed his third straight game. … The Clippers were outscored 42-18 in the third. … All five starters reached double figures.
Warriors: A tribute to Al Attles was shown on the big screen during a first-quarter timeout for his selection into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Attles, a former player, coach, general manager with the Warriors and current ambassador, hasn’t been well enough to attend games this season but received an ovation. … Cousins received his third foul 6:49 before halftime on a debatable charge. … Shaun Livingston, who had been questionable with a bruised left knee, made all four of his shots in 13 minutes. … Every Warriors player scored. … Andre Iguodala sat out with a sore left toe. … Golden State finished 30-11 at home and 19-7 against the Western Conference.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host Utah on Wednesday.
Warriors: At New Orleans on Tuesday to start a back-to-back to conclude the season at Memphis on Wednesday.
Read more at: Golden State Warriors Media Services / More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
JEstevez@EMIsportsCentral.com
For more on the Golden State Warriors, see the blog at www.EMIsportsCentral.com
EMI Sports Central – EMI Sports Bay Area: Join the conversation on sports news for SF Bay Area teams: Follow @EMIsports on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook and sign up for our FREE email newsletters.