Playing severely shorthanded once again on Wednesday, the odds were stacked against the L.A. Clippers to come out with a road victory against the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. Fortunately, they have someone by the name of Lou Williams.
While the Warriors were also playing without Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, they still have two active All-Stars in their lineup in Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. However, they were caught by surprise as the Clippers’ cause was boosted by Williams’ career night.
The home team did not have an answer for the 31-year-old guard, as he torched the Warriors for 50 points, including 27 in the third quarter, to go along with two rebounds and seven assists. Williams' brilliant effort led the Clippers to their first victory inside Oracle Arena since 2014.
This is the first time the Clippers have beaten Golden State since Christmas 2014. Most of them have been blowouts
(Warriors were without Curry and Thompson tonight) pic.twitter.com/dniDUT7yvn
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) January 11, 2018
What a night for Lou Williams. pic.twitter.com/VmHIwuL22D
— Yahoo Sports NBA (@YahooSportsNBA) January 11, 2018
Back in November, the Clippers lost nine straight games, making their season appear to be a lost cause. Now with Williams leading the team sans Blake Griffin, Danilo Gallinari, Austin Rivers, and Patrick Beverley, who is already slated to miss the remainder of the season, things are starting to fall into place.
Griffin is diagnosed with a concussion, but is not expected to miss a significant amount of time. Meanwhile, Gallinari and Rivers could both return to action soon.
The Clippers have now won their sixth game over their last eight outings, and the upset they pulled off against the Warriors should further increase their confidence. With an 18-21 record, L.A. is within striking distance of the New Orleans Pelicans, who currently occupy the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
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