Stephen Curry says Golden State Warriors will not panic despite Game 5 loss to Los Angeles Clippers
Written by News on 26/04/2019
Stephen Curry says there’s “no panic at all” among the Golden State Warriors despite their Game 5 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Golden State left the door open for a Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round series by delivering a below-average defensive performance in the 129-121 loss on Wednesday, while the Clippers shot 54.1 per cent from the field.
“Not what we’re used to, but there’s no panic at all,” said Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, who led Golden State to three of the past four NBA championships.
“Our message to each other going into Game 6 is, yeah, we would have loved to have come in and win four straight, or close it out [on Wednesday night]. Doesn’t change what the goal is.
“The goal is to win four games, move on to the next series and start it all over again.”
Curry acknowledged how difficult it is to guard the Clippers. Not only do they have an energetic starting five, but reserves Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell are two of their most dangerous players.
Williams is averaging 24.4 points in the series and Harrell is averaging 20.
“They have talent all over the floor,” Curry said. “They’ve got guys that can knock down shots, and their bench, it’s been talked about all year with what Montrezl and Lou bring. We have to take those away the best we can.”
The Los Angeles Clippers are hoping to gain some payback when they return home at the Staples Center to face the Warriors in Game 6 after staving off elimination with their Game 5 win.
They were in a similar position after winning Game 2 on the road to tie the series at 1-1, but dropped the next two games on their own court.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers said their fans deserve better.
“We want to do right by them,” Rivers said. “My guess is there were probably not a lot of tickets sold, because I don’t think a lot of people thought Game 6 would happen, but I think our guys did, and that’s all that mattered.”
The Clippers were far more reserved after their latest win in Oakland and are fully aware that they shot 56.5 per cent from the floor in Game 2, only to turn around and shoot 37.2 per cent in Game 3.
“We learned a lesson, and [the Warriors] taught us it,” Rivers said. “They were a great teacher for us.”
The Clippers are hoping forward Danilo Gallinari picks up where he left off last game as well. Gallinari scored a team-high 26 points in Game 5. He shot 9-for-22 from the floor, below his regular-season shooting percentage of 46.3, but much better than the 7-for-33 he combined to shoot in Games 3 and 4.
“I think he’ll be even better in Game 6,” Rivers said. “I think he now knows where he can score from.”
(c) Sky News 2019: Stephen Curry says Golden State Warriors will not panic despite Game 5 loss to Los Angeles Clippers
