The Clippers needed a win and got a thriller. The Clippers beat Warriors 104-101 in their preseason opener Sunday night in Honolulu before 10,112 fans at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Rui Hachimura scored 21 points in 15 minutes, Darius Garland was perfect from the field, and rookie Keaton Wagler hit the go-ahead jumper in the final 14 seconds. The night also brought a scare: Max Strus left with a right foot injury and did not return.
Here is the verified recap from the box score and the postgame quotes, beyond our game-day preview.
Clippers Beat Warriors 104-101: How It Ended
The Clippers led 55-43 at halftime after a 32-19 second quarter, then watched Golden State climb back. Los Angeles led 60-47 with 8:24 left in the third. The Warriors pushed ahead 88-82 with 7:20 left in the fourth. Graham Ike’s tip-in put Golden State up 101-100 with 27.5 seconds remaining.
Wagler answered with a jumper for a 102-101 Clippers lead with 14 seconds left. Blake Wesley blocked Miles Kelly’s short runner with 3.9 seconds on the clock. Cameron Christie was fouled with 2.5 seconds left and hit both free throws to make it 104-101. Ike missed a 35-foot try at the horn.
Los Angeles shot 32-of-80 from the field and 11-of-36 from three. Golden State went 37-of-95 and 6-of-33. The Clippers won the free-throw battle, 29-of-38 to 21-of-31.
Top Performances
- Rui Hachimura: 21 points (8-of-11 FG, 4-of-5 from three) and five rebounds in 15:12. He was the clear offensive closer of the starter group.
- Darius Garland: 15 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including 3-of-3 from three, plus six assists and three rebounds in 15:21.
- Keaton Wagler: 15 points in 30:05. The No. 5 pick went 3-of-15 from the field and 1-of-11 from three, but he was 8-of-9 at the line and hit the biggest shot of the night.
- Isaiah Jackson: started at center, finished with four points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks in 16:56.
- Cameron Christie: eight points and eight rebounds in 28:04, plus the sealing free throws.
- Baba Miller: nine points and six rebounds in 20:04 off the bench.
For Golden State, Charles Bassey had 12 points and eight rebounds, Brandon Williams and Ike each scored 11, and Stephen Curry finished with 10 points (3-of-4 FG, 2-of-3 from three) in about 13 minutes. Draymond Green, Al Horford, Brandin Podziemski and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg started with Curry.
The Starting Five and Jackson’s Night
Los Angeles opened with Garland, Hachimura, Jackson, Derrick Jones Jr. and Strus, matching what Tyronn Lue had shown in camp and what Jackson said Saturday he expected. Jones scored six points in 14:30. Strus played only 4:50 before exiting.
Lue liked what he saw from Jackson in the first look. “We’re going to need him to rebound, going to need him to be able to score, going to need him to block, we’re going to need everything,” Lue said, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “Today what he showed was really good and we’re going to need that from him every night.”
Hachimura, in his first game in a Clippers jersey after three seasons with the Lakers, described a clean offensive night and a defensive one against Curry’s group. “I felt good. This is a new system for me, a new team, a lot of new faces, coaches and coaching staff,” he said. “This is our first game. Overall, we did what we wanted to do. Offensively, we did pretty good sharing the ball and making the right plays. Defensively, we played really good, especially against Golden State and Steph (Curry).”
He also noticed the crowd. “It was supposed to be a home game (for the Clippers), but there were more Warriors fans,” Hachimura said. Yuki Kawamura entered late in the third and drew a “Yuki” chant from the Honolulu crowd.
Max Strus: Right Foot Injury, Out for the Night
Strus appeared to tweak his right foot on a non-contact cut in the first quarter, hopped toward the locker room and was ruled out for the rest of the game, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. There was no public diagnosis or timeline Sunday night. Lue said Strus will be tested when the team returns to Los Angeles.
“Never good to see when it’s a non-contact play,” Lue said, via beat writer Joey Linn. The Clippers were already without Brandon Ingram (heel/Achilles recovery). Bradley Beal (right knee inflammation) and Kobe Sanders (left hip) did not play, as previewed Saturday. Wagler’s heavy minutes were the direct result of Strus leaving early.
Wagler owned the early jitters. “I started a little bit sped up, jitters a little bit,” he said. “Once I got settled in, it kind of slowed down, so for me it’s being able to have the ball in my hands, it’s being able to create plays like I do at practices and training camp.”
Lue on the Vibes After a Rough Offseason
The Clippers entered the week under the shadow of the NBA’s salary-cap investigation involving Kawhi Leonard, the $30 million fine, lost draft picks and ownership suspensions. Lue’s message after the win was about the gym, not the headlines.
“The vibes have been great. Our guys have done a great job of just working hard every single day and no complaining, no excuses,” Lue said. “Today was a step in the right direction, but we have to get a lot better.”
On the Hawaii trip itself: “The fans have been great. I thank Golden State and Steve and those guys for coming here with us. It’s always a great experience. The people and community are great. I love being here so hopefully we can do it again next year.”
Watch: Postgame Media Availability
Hear more from the Clippers after the win on the team’s official channel:
What’s Next
Camp in Honolulu is over. The Clippers’ next preseason game is Saturday, October 10, against the Toronto Raptors at Rogers Arena in Vancouver as part of the NBA Canada Series. After that they host Denver at Intuit Dome on October 14. The Strus tests in Los Angeles will shape how deep the wing rotation looks for those dates. Follow InfanityTV for the injury update once the team has imaging results.
