Saturday 19 January 2019 07:43, UK
DeMarcus Cousins scored 14 points in his Golden State debut and Stephen Curry added 28 as the visiting Warriors extended their winning streak to seven games with a 112-94 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
Cousins, who missed nearly a year of action because of an Achilles injury, fouled out in just 15 minutes of action. He went 5-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, adding six rebounds.
"It felt great to be out there; It's been a long journey," Cousins said. "A lot of ups and downs, a lot of dark days, a lot of good days but this is where my love and passion is so I'm just happy to be out here on the floor and out here with my team-mates."
Tobias Harris scored 28 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 24 as the Clippers dropped their fifth consecutive game.
The Clippers were without high-scoring reserve guard Lou Williams because of a hamstring injury and lost starting forward Danilo Gallinari after one quarter because of lower back spasms. Both players have combined to average 38.1 points per game this season.
Kevin Durant scored 24 points, while Klay Thompson added 12 as the Warriors overcame an uncharacteristically poor shooting night from three-point range. They were just 5-of-29 (17.2) per cent after three quarters and finished 9-of-37 for the game. Thompson was 0-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Even without their top two scorers, the Clippers gave the Warriors fits in the first half. Golden State had a 28-25 lead after one quarter and led just 52-51 at half-time.
Cousins started but sat after playing three minutes because of two fouls. His first basket with the Warriors came 1:26 into the game on a dunk. He showed the sharp-shooting Warriors his abilities from long range with his first three-pointer less than a minute into the second quarter and hit two more to open the fourth quarter.
Even without their signature long-range shooting game, the Warriors found their scoring touch in the third quarter, outscoring the Clippers 29-21 to take an 81-72 lead.
Golden State took command with an 11-0 run to open the fourth quarter.
The Clippers were held to 43 points in the second half and were 15-for-45 from the field in the final two quarters.
