The Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks at home on Saturday, March 10 before heading down to L.A. to face the Los Angeles Clippers on the back-end of a back-to-back on March 11. The game against the Clippers was going to test the Warriors ability to travel during a back-to-back - even though it's not too far from the Bay Area to Los Angeles. As it turns out, the Warriors were certainly up to the test and took control of the basketball game from the beginning. At one point the Warriors led by 21, but the Clippers clawed back to make it a basketball game.
Let's take a look at some of the keys and storylines from the Warriors win over the Clippers:
Stephen Curry's Ankle
Curry re-injured his ankle against the Dallas Mavericks on March 10 in a Warriors' 111-87 win over the defending NBA champs. On a seemingly innocent dribble toward the sideline, the tip of Curry's foot seemed to get caught on the court and he rolled his ankle - but it looked to be slight. He would not return to the game. Despite the injury, Mark Jackson started him against the Clippers. His ankle clearly bothered him and he played just 10 minutes and scored zero points.
Dorell Wright's Big First Quarter
Wright helped pick up the slack from the limited play of Curry as he and the Warriors came out blazing in the first quarter. Wright was 6-for-6 from the floor in the first quarter including 4-for-4 from beyond the three-point line, totaling 16 points in the first quarter alone. While he'd end the game with just 20 points, his early start helped get the Warriors going early and in the end, the Warriors were glad they had Wright's 20-point performance. Monta Ellis and David Lee also stepped up without Curry, recording double-doubles - Lee with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Ellis with 21 points and 11 assists.
Chris Paul's Mask
Kobe Bryant has had success wearing a mask since he suffered a broken nose in the All-Star game, so I guess Chris Paul decided that Bryant wouldn't be the only star in L.A. to wear one. However, in all actuality, Paul suffered a nasal fracture on Friday, March 9 against the San Antonio Spurs, after being hit in the face by Danny Green. While he had 23 points against the Warriors and played well, the mask just didn't do what's it has done for Kobe thus far. The Clippers are now in fifth place Western Conference after the loss and a Laker victory over the Celtics allowed the Lakers to jump over the Clippers and the Grizzlies, into third place.
The Warriors next game comes on March 13 on the road against the Sacramento Kings. They then return home to face the Celtics on the back-end of a back-to-back; Golden State's second back-to-back in a five-day span.
David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where fresh content is posted daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions - all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, "Not knowing any better". Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.
You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp
Sources:
NBA.com. Warriors vs. Clipper Recap. NBA 2012.
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