The Los Angeles Clippers made things interesting for around 20 minutes or so. While the entire NBA world assumed that they would just be happy to be in the playoffs, they fought back from an early double-digit deficit to take a lead in the second quarter. For a bit, it actually seemed as if they were ready to make this an interesting series against the NBA's best team. And then, the Hamptons 5 rained fire down upon the lands and destroyed them. They blew the Clippers off of the floor at the end of the second quarter and steadily built up their lead in the second half to take a 1-0 series lead over the scrappy No. 8 seed. While the series isn't technically over, the first game did confirm what we already knew about these two teams. The Clippers are well coached and play the right way, but they have nowhere near enough talent to seriously challenge the Warriors. Golden State walked away with a relatively easy Game 1 victory on Saturday. Here are the best media reactions to the Warriors' first playoff victory.<doc-sep>Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images Stephen Curry posted 38 points on 11-of-16 shooting, 15 rebounds and seven assists as the No. 1 seed Golden State Warriors beat the No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers 121-104 on Saturday in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series at Oracle Arena. Video Play Button McCollum and the Blazers Snapped Postseason Losing Streak for "Jennifer" Stars Invest in Plant-Based Food as Vegetarianism Sweeps NBA The NBA Got Some Wild Techs This Season Jarrett Allen Is One of the NBA’s Hottest Rim Protectors Wade's Jersey Swaps Created Epic Moments This Season Westbrook Makes History While Honoring Nipsey Hussle Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear 29 Years Ago, Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points Bosh Is Getting His Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami Steph Returns to Houston for 1st Time Since His Moon Landing Troll Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine LeBron Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books Young's Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka LeBron and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album Wade's #OneLastDance Dominated February Warriors Fans Go Wild After Unforgettable Moments with Steph Eight Years Ago, the Nuggets Traded Melo to the Knicks Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Boogie to the Pelicans ASG Will Be Competitive Again If the NBA Raises the Stakes Right Arrow Icon Curry also broke former NBA guard Ray Allen's record for the most three-point field goals in NBA playoff history after making eight on Saturday for a career total of 386. He also set a career-high on the glass. Warriors forward Kevin Durant added 23 points and four rebounds. Montrezl Harrell led the Clippers with 26 points off the bench, and Lou Williams contributed 25 points and nine assists. Hamptons Five Lineup Will Prove Invincible Again This Postseason In 2016, a Golden State contingent including Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala visited free agent Kevin Durant in the Hamptons on Long Island. That group became known as the Hamptons Five, or the Death Lineup. The combination has proven to be invincible since it formed: The Warriors have won two titles and lost just one home playoff game since Durant joined the team. This year is no exception to that lineup's multi-year success. According to NBA.com, the Hamptons Five has the highest net rating in the league among lineups that have played at least 100 regular-season minutes together. That mark stands as 29.1 for the Warriors' quintet, and a sizable gap exists between them and a Denver Nuggets' crew who sits second at 24.9. If Saturday is any indication, we'll see more of the same this spring. The Warriors led 38-27 early in the second quarter but quickly saw their lead disappear after Williams and Harrell led Los Angeles on a run. Golden State retook a 43-42 advantage with 6:44 left in the second quarter, but head coach Steve Kerr decided to call in some reinforcements. Golden State proceeded to outscore the Clippers 17-11 over the next 5:09 to give itself a 60-53 edge. Los Angeles was unable to cut the deficit to fewer than six points for the remainder of the game. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic noted, the Hamptons Five has been on a roll during the 2019 calendar year: Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle pointed out that the Clippers have encountered issues with this lineup, which could create more problems for L.A. in this series: Nick Friedell of ESPN noted that the Hamptons Five should be featured more in the postseason at pivotal moments: Ultimately, all NBA defenses should encounter problems with a unit whose fantastic chemistry can lead to smooth buckets like this: The Warriors have won just one of 16 playoff games needed to earn an NBA championship, but early returns suggest the Hamptons Five will once again play a pivotal part in a Golden State title. Lou Williams Proving Why He's Easy Choice for Sixth Man of the Year Williams ended any possible doubt that he should be the Sixth Man of the Year this season after a stellar Saturday performance. Video Play Button McCollum and the Blazers Snapped Postseason Losing Streak for "Jennifer" Stars Invest in Plant-Based Food as Vegetarianism Sweeps NBA The NBA Got Some Wild Techs This Season Jarrett Allen Is One of the NBA’s Hottest Rim Protectors Wade's Jersey Swaps Created Epic Moments This Season Westbrook Makes History While Honoring Nipsey Hussle Devin Booker Makes History with Scoring Tear 29 Years Ago, Jordan Dropped Career-High 69 Points Bosh Is Getting His Jersey Raised to the Rafters in Miami Steph Returns to Houston for 1st Time Since His Moon Landing Troll Lou Williams Is Coming for a Repeat of Sixth Man of the Year Pat Beverley Has the Clippers Stealing the LA Shine LeBron Keeps Shredding NBA Record Books Young's Hot Streak Is Heating Up the ROY Race with Luka LeBron and 2 Chainz Form a Superteam to Release a New Album Wade's #OneLastDance Dominated February Warriors Fans Go Wild After Unforgettable Moments with Steph Eight Years Ago, the Nuggets Traded Melo to the Knicks Two Years Ago, the Kings Shipped Boogie to the Pelicans ASG Will Be Competitive Again If the NBA Raises the Stakes Right Arrow Icon He went an efficient 11-of-21 from the field for 25 points. He also paced the Clips with three buckets and an assist during a 15-2 run that put L.A. up 42-40 early in the second quarter. Take a look at this one, for instance: How many reserve guards are that smooth and crafty? Are any in Williams' league? Furthermore, Sweet Lou has excellent court vision, like when he threw a bounce pass through Warriors forward Kevon Looney's legs to Harrell for an easy two. Williams looks like one of the best offensive players in the league at times, which is a huge boost to his Sixth Man of the Year candidacy. But there isn't much debate on the award front: Per Oddschecker, Williams is the top favorite to win his third Sixth Man of the Year award by a long shot. A few numbers help explain why. First, Williams is first among qualified reserves with a 21.2 player efficiency rating, according to Basketball-Reference. A few players above him (Portland Trail Blazers big man Enes Kanter and Los Angeles Lakers center JaVale McGee) have come off the bench, but neither has been a full-time reserve like Williams this season. Second, he's the only current NBA bench player who leads his present team in scoring. Granted, Tobias Harris was technically the Clips' leading scorer this year, but he's now a Philadelphia 76er. Williams paces the present-day Clippers with 20.0 points in just 26.6 minutes per game. Third, Williams is arguably the most valuable player on a Western Conference postseason team, and that's a prestigious distinction given the league's strength. There's a significant difference in power between the West and East, where three teams made the playoffs with 42-40 records or worse. The Clippers were the West's last seed at 48-34. Fourteen of 15 West teams were also 33-49 or better. Five East teams were under 33-49 this season. In other words, Williams went through a gauntlet to help lead the Clips to the playoffs. As far as opponent respect goes, Williams has that in bunches. For example, check out the words the Warriors used to describe Williams, per the San Francisco Chronicle: Williams isn't without competition. Indiana Pacers forward Domantas Sabonis had 14.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Derrick Rose scored 18.0 points per night, and Harrell has been excellent in his own right with 16.6 points and 6.5 rebounds. However, Williams is the heart and soul of a team that finished 14 games above .500. He's the NBA's top reserve without question. What's Next? Golden State will host Los Angeles for Game 2 on Monday at 10:30 p.m. ET.<doc-sep>
Curry sets playoff record in 121-104 win powered by Saturday marked the start of the Warriors' franchise-record seventh straight playoff appearance, and the team came out with a strong showing in the first game of their best-of-seven first round matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers in their 121-104 win. In addition to leading the Dubs with 38 points, Stephen Curry made eight shots from beyond the arc to pass Ray Allen for the all-time NBA record for career threes made in the playoffs. TEAM LEADERS GSW LAC Points Points Curry - 38 Harrell - 26 Durant - 23 Williams - 25 Green - 17 Gilgeous-Alexander - 18 Rebounds Rebounds Curry - 15 Gallinari - 8 Cousins - 9 Beverley - 7 Green - 7 Green - 6 Assists Assists Curry / Green - 7 Williams - 9 Iguodala - 6 Beverley - 7 Cousins - 4 Harrell / Shamet - 2 More Stats | Highlights | Game Photos It was a tight match between the two California rivals from tipoff as we saw each team set the tone early with the first play. In the Clippers’ first trip down court, Ivica Zubac was fed the ball while in the paint matched against Kevin Durant; he attempted to muscle his way towards the bucket and lay the ball in, but Durant rejected the attempt. The early goings were filled with a similar back-and-forths as players squared up against their opponents. The Warriors struggled slightly while trying to break away from the Clippers early though. In several cases, simple miscues in communication turned into turnovers; while walking up court after an inbound pass, Durant sent one pass straight into the crowd as Draymond Green, the intended recipient, was communicating with Dubs downcourt. The problem was solved quickly though, and Warriors went on an immediate 10-0 run, eventually finishing the quarter up by nine. However, the Clippers would return the favor in the second quarter and go on their own 10-0 run to work their way back into the game. The Dubs were once again seeking some way to distance themselves from Los Angeles. After posting six points while playing the entire first quarter, Curry checked back into the game, and he was on a mission. The game was tied at 51 with 3:28 left in second, but Curry fired away for 14 additional points as part of a 18-5 run to end the half with the Dubs leading 67-56. That run ultimately created a deficit the Clippers were unable to overcome, especially as there was a clear and evident extra level of tenacity in second half on the boards by all of the Warriors; the team out-rebounded Los Angeles 29 to 18 in the last two quarters. Besides his historic accomplishment, Curry led all players with 15 rebounds and on multiple occasions fought-off Los Angeles players for the ball and earned the extra possession for the Dubs. Green finished with 17 points to get with his 7 rebounds, and Andre Iguodala added eight points, six assists, two steals, and three blocks to go with six rebounds. More Notable Moments: