The LA Clippers hosted the Golden State Warriors at the Intuit Dome and came away with a 102-99 victory in a closely tough matchup. Norman Powell, who’s playing at an All-Star level, lead the team with 23 points but it was an all-around effort with Zubac scoring 8 points & grabbing 17 rebounds.  James Harden had 16 assists with only two turnovers despite having a poor shooting night. Amir Coffey, who has been playing great, had 15 points & Terrence Mann scoring 10 points both off the bench.  Unsung defensive gems from newcomers Derrick Jones Jr and Kris Dunn have improved immensely since last season.  Backup Center Mo Bamba has also contributed.  Batum and Kevin Porter Jr have also helped off the bench.

Golden State was led by Stephen Curry who had 26 points and was 6 for 15 on three-point shots but other than Andrew Wiggins with 22 points and Jonathan Kuminga with 12 points, the rest of the team did not add much scoring punch. The Clippers’ defense was tough, and they had a 10-point lead with 2 1/2 minutes left in the game before Golden State chipped away to get within three points, but Curry missed the three-pointer with 12 seconds left. Draymond Green got the rebound & threw it out to Payton who missed a tying 3 point shot with two seconds left. The Clippers held on to vs the top team in the West.  In other news, Kawhi Leonard is still out indefinitely with a right knee inflammation injury. The team has been playing very well without him so if he comes back, that will add a bunch to the scrappy Clippers team and season. More at www.nba.com/clippers