Warriors sizzle, then fizzle in loss to Clippers that imperils place in play-in tourney

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Moses Moody (4) and Darius Garland (10) roll on the court for a loose ball in the first half as the Golden State Warriors played the Los Angeles Clippers at Chase Center in San Francisco, on Monday, March 2, 2026. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle)


The Golden State Warriors squandered a 17-point lead to the Los Angeles Clippers - and with it, part of their shrinking lead for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

With Stephen Curry sidelined an 11th straight game - and Kristaps Porzingis out a fifth straight game - the Warriors relinquished their first-half advantage when their offense stalled in the second half of a 1114-101 loss Monday at Chase Center. Golden State shot 15 of 46 in the final two quarters after its effective team defense spotted it a sizable lead.

As a result, the Warriors (31-30) have a 1.5-game lead over the Clippers, who pressed their advantage in talent to win the second half 72-45. The No. 7 and No. 8 seeds get double elimination in the play-in tournament while the No. 9 and No. 10 seeds are subject to single elimination.

Brandin Podziemski led Golden State with 22 points, scoring 20 in the first half on 8-of-12 shooting. Two-way signee Nate Williams scored a career-high 18 and Al Horford added 17 points.

Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers (29-31) with 23 points and eight rebounds.

The Warriors set the defensive tone that eluded them Saturday against the Los Angeles Lakers, holding the Clippers to 37.2% first-half shooting. Active ball pressure and cohesive help mucked up their offense with Green shadowing Leonard - and double teams coming when he wasn't - and holding him to 3-of-6 first-half shooting.

Podziemski commandeered Golden State's offense - and with it a 56-42 halftime lead. He punctured the paint, attacking in rhythm, en route to his 20 first-half points as Moody spaced the floor around him with 10 points and two 3-pointers.

Los Angeles opened the second half with an offensive rhythm that cut the lead to eight. But Williams turned an offensive rebound into a catch-and-shoot three from the corner. Attacks from Leonard and stellar team defense helped the Clippers pull within two with 12 minutes to play.

A catch-and-shoot triple by Kris Dunn ignited an 11-2 run for Los Angeles atop the fourth quarter.

Golden State begins a three-game trip Thursday against the Houston Rockets.

Clippers 114, Warriors 101

FGFTReb
L.A. CLIPPERSMinM-AM-AO-TAPFPTS
Jones Jr.24:192-125-65-6149
Leonard28:569-142-22-84123
Lopez23:563-80-01-4236
Dunn25:567-100-00-77016
Sanders21:333-50-01-2118
Mathurin31:266-135-51-70217
Miller25:005-62-21-60012
Garland22:494-92-21-22212
Niederhauser21:133-65-62-90311
Batum6:190-10-00-0000
Christie2:510-10-00-0000
Omier2:510-00-01-1000
Washington Jr.2:510-00-00-0110
Totals240:0042-8521-2315-521817114

Percentages: FG .494, FT .913.

3-Point Goals: 9-31, .290 (Leonard 3-6, Sanders 2-3, Dunn 2-4, Garland 2-7, Batum 0-1, Mathurin 0-2, Jones Jr. 0-4, Lopez 0-4).

Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: None.

Blocked Shots: 7 (Niederhauser 4, Mathurin, Miller, Sanders).

Turnovers: 14 (Garland 5, Mathurin 4, Jones Jr. 2, Dunn, Leonard, Miller).

Steals: 9 (Dunn 2, Leonard 2, Niederhauser 2, Garland, Jones Jr., Mathurin).

Technical Fouls: None.

FGFTReb
GOLDEN STATEMinM-AM-AO-TAPFPTS
Green31:211-51-20-2644
Moody25:044-120-01-31210
Horford27:045-113-52-63217
Melton27:053-140-02-4247
Podziemski36:589-181-21-73122
Santos31:012-80-03-10315
Williams21:325-85-62-22118
Spencer21:033-82-21-2529
Post12:274-80-02-3109
Leons6:250-10-01-1000
Totals240:0036-9312-1715-402617101

Percentages: FG .387, FT .706.

3-Point Goals: 17-48, .354 (Horford 4-8, Williams 3-4, Podziemski 3-6, Moody 2-8, Post 1-3, Santos 1-3, Spencer 1-4, Green 1-5, Melton 1-7).

Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: 2.

Blocked Shots: 2 (Horford, Post).

Turnovers: 12 (Green 3, Melton 2, Podziemski 2, Santos 2, Moody, Spencer, Williams).

Steals: 7 (Santos 3, Green, Melton, Moody, Williams).

Technical Fouls: None.

L.A. Clippers19233537-114
Golden State31252322-101

A_18,064 (18,064).

This article originally published at Warriors sizzle, then fizzle in loss to Clippers that imperils place in play-in tourney.

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