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What we learned as Warriors blow 17-point lead in stunning collapse vs. Clippers
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- What we learned as Warriors blow 17-point lead in stunning collapse vs. Clippers
What we learned as Warriors blow 17-point lead in stunning collapse vs. Clippers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Strong starts usually make all the difference for the Warriors.
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The Warriors used smothering defense and constant ball movement to lead by 12 points after the first quarter and 14 at halftime. They were up by as many as 17 points and then lost by 13, 114-101, against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night at Chase Center.
The Clippers outscored them by 27 points, 72-45, in the second half.
Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 22 points, but 20 came in the first half. That's how it went for the Warriors as a whole. A great start turned to a terrible finish and a frustrating loss.
Perhaps the biggest bright spot came from a Warriors player on a two-way contract. Nate Williams scored a career-high 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including a trio of 3-pointers.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors' second straight loss that brought their record to 31-30 on the 2025-26 NBA season.
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Podz's Fire Burns Out
Every game Steph Curry misses is a guess of who will be the Warriors' leading scorer. Podziemski took it upon himself to be the answer. Aggressive and under control. The Warriors got the best version of Podziemski to recover from a bad loss.
By the time Podziemski reached 20 points early in the second quarter, the next highest for both teams was Moses Moody with seven points. This was the second 20-point half of his NBA career, and he did so on 8-of-12 shooting. But Podziemski only scored two points during a rough third quarter for the Warriors.
Water was poured all over Podziemski and the Warriors in the second half. He couldn't recover from a rough third quarter and was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Podziemski went 1 of 6 from the field in the final two quarters.
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Draymond vs. Kawhi
It's clear what the Warriors' defensive game plan against the Clippers was: Contain Kawhi Leonard .
Unleashing Draymond Green on him was Warriors coach Steve Kerr's best bet. Green and Leonard almost perfectly matched each other's minutes. While Green played eight minutes and 15 seconds in the first quarter and was up to 16 minutes and five seconds at halftime, Leonard saw seven minutes and 12 seconds in the first quarter and 14 minutes and 22 seconds through the first half. Leonard was a minus-2 with eight points through the first two quarters, and Green was a plus-7 as he hounded him.
And then Leonard scored the Clippers' first four points of the third quarter. He scored eight points in the first two quarters and then eight in the third quarter. Green after three quarters played 26 more seconds than Leonard.
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As the fourth quarter began, Green was on the floor but Leonard was not. They both checked in together at the 8:45 mark with the Warriors down 88-83. Leonard was a machine in the second half, scoring 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. He was a plus-12 in the fourth quarter, and Green was a minus-21.
Napa Nate
With 10 healthy players, including two of their three on two-way contracts , Kerr was forced to get creative from the start. His starting five only had played together in nine minutes over four games prior to Monday night. The bigger surprise was a back-of-the-bench player getting early minutes.
Nate Williams, who played his final year of high school at Napa's Prolific Prep, made his Warriors debut Saturday night in Golden State's blowout loss against the Los Angeles Lakers and scored seven points in just under 15 minutes. He didn't have to wait his turn two days later. Williams was on the floor in the first quarter and scored five points as the Warriors raced out to an early lead.
The 27-year-old in his fourth NBA season played eight minutes in the first half and then almost immediately made a three when he checked in during the third quarter. A few minutes later, he swiped a steal from Leonard and was fouled right away from him for two free throws with the Warriors in the bonus. Williams was the Warriors' third-leading scorer going into the fourth quarter with 13 points.
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Williams was playing his fourth game in four nights and his energy never let up. Only Gui Santos (31 minutes) played more than Williams (22 minutes) off the bench.
