By JANIE McCAULEY AP Sports Writer
SAN FRANCISCO — James Harden and the Clippers had a slim halftime lead, then things went off the rails.
Jimmy Butler had 21 points (without shooting a free throw), five rebounds and five assists, Steph Curry added 19 points and eight assists, and the Golden State Warriors held Harden scoreless in the second half to beat the Clippers, 98-79, on Tuesday night.
Curry shot 7 for 15 a night after four Warriors players scored 20 or more points to beat Memphis – but it marked just the sixth time in Curry’s 17 seasons when he wasn’t one of them.
Butler and Moses Moody each hit 3-pointers late in the third quarter as the Warriors used a 10-2 burst over the final 2:07 to go ahead 78-63 starting the fourth.
Brandin Podziemski followed up a 23-point performance against the Grizzlies with 12 points, while Quinten Post had 12 points on four 3-pointers and eight rebounds.
Harden scored all 20 of his points by halftime while Kawhi Leonard added 18 points and five rebounds in a game featuring a 13-point second quarter by Golden State followed by the Clippers’ 14-point third.
Harden’s 3-pointer with 41 seconds left in the first half gave the Clippers their first lead, and they took a 49-46 lead after closing the second quarter on a 24-6 run.
Ivica Zubac contributed 14 points and a season-best 13 rebounds for the cold-shooting Clippers, who finished 6 for 33 from behind the arc and 30 for 82 overall (36.6%) en route to their lowest point total since scoring 79 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in October 2021.
The Clippers scored just 30 points over the final 24 minutes on Tuesday as Golden State, which harassed them into 16 turnovers, gradually pulled away.
The Clippers had won the last seven in the series and three in a row at the Chase Center, where the Warriors improved to 3-0 so far.
On a night when the Clippers were called for just five fouls, the Warriors overcame a 3-for-4 night at the free-throw line by burying 17 of 45 (37.8%) from 3-point range.
Butler, who had gotten to the foul line 42 times in Golden State’s first four games, hit nine of his 12 shots overall and three of his four 3-point attempts.
Defensive ace Draymond Green aided the Warriors’ cause with seven points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Al Horford was back for the Warriors against the tall, physical Clippers team featuring the 7-foot Zubac after sitting out the front end of the back-to-back to manage a left toe injury.
The Clippers opened the game 6 for 20 from the field and 1 for 8 from 3-point range to fall behind 27-14 on a night when they were without Bradley Beal for a second consecutive game because of back soreness.
UP NEXT
The Clippers host New Orleans on Friday at 7:30 p.m.