NBA highlights on Feb. 14: Warriors blow a win in less than 3 minutes

The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors 130-125 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, ending the opponents' five-game winning streak.

The Clippers' ace Kawhi Leonard didn't play in the game due to injury. Their head coach Tyronn Lue was ejected in the fourth quarter. They still trailed by 12 points (106-94) when there were nine and a half minutes in the fourth quarter. Nonetheless, the team overcame all of the above difficulties to come back and beat the Warriors.

The biggest turning point happened within less than three minutes in the fourth period. From 9:29 to 7:03, the Clippers drove a 10-0 run. It ended with a corner 3-pointer by Norman Powell, who then drained another three straight triples to put his side on lead 121-115 when there were less than three minutes left.

Though Paul George was not on the court at that time after committing six personal fouls, the Clippers safeguarded their victory thanks to a 3-pointer by Amir Coffey plus six free throws made by him, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Harden contributed 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Clippers on Wednesday night. His efficient individual attack held the team together in the first half until George and other teammates began to heat up from downtown.

The Warriors could have won this game as they had been performing like the NBA champions two years ago. Stephen Curry knocked down nine triples out of 19 attempts to get 41 points. Brandin Podziemski went 5-for-5 behind the arc to contribute 25 points in addition to seven rebounds and eight assists with only one turnover. The team was running the floor quickly with remarkable ball-movement that made the Clippers' defense unable to contain everything at once.

However, the Warriors suddenly lost all of that magic during the decisive less-than-three minutes in the final period. Coach Steve Kerr paired Curry with Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II and Kevin Looney. Curry was the only ball-distributor of the five, a fact that was inviting the Clippers to double-team him to paralyze the Warriors' offense.

While the Clippers kept scoring, the Warriors missed four field goals (FGs), three of which came from Thompson. They trailed by three points (126-123) with 39 seconds to go, enough time to keep the opponents from scoring and then set a game-tying play. Nonetheless, Thompson immediately fouled on Westbrook, who was sent to the free throw line and made both shots to extend their lead to five points.

Thompson shot 4-for-14 from the field, including 1-for-9 outside the 3-point line in Wednesday's game. If he continues to play and results in losses for the Warriors like this, he will be doing no favor to either the team or himself for the sake of signing a new deal.

Other games on Wednesday (away teams come first):

Chicago Bulls 105-108 Cleveland Cavaliers

In old-school basketball, a team dominated the paint to win. That theory may have changed as the sport continued to develop, the Cavaliers defeated the Bulls by implementing it at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. They outscored the opponents 52-28 in the paint. Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen all reached double-digit points there for the home team.

Coby White made five triples out of eight attempts to score court-high 32 points for the Bulls on Wednesday night. He and DeMar DeRozan combined to get 22 points in the fourth quarter, but they couldn't stop their side from being outmatched by the opponents on every front of the game in this period.

Sacramento Kings 102-98 Denver Nuggets

The Kings beat the Nuggets for the second time in a week and this time they did it on the road at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. De’Aaron Fox went 7-for-12 in FGs to get 15 points and four assists for the Kings in the fourth quarter, leading his side to come back from a 16-point deficit at most. Domantas Sabonis had 20 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Harrison Barnes contributed 20 points after making six of his nine FG attempts.

Jamal Murray sat out on Wednesday's game because of injury. As a result, Nikola Jokic had to face the King's aggressive defense by himself. He still delivered eight assists without a turnover, but was contained in individual attack, missing 11 of his 17 shots, including all six from downtown.

Atlanta Hawks 99-122 Charlotte Hornets

New York Knicks 100-118 Orlando Magic

Miami Heat 109-104 Philadelphia 76ers

Brooklyn Nets 86-136 Boston Celtics

Indiana Pacers 127-125 Toronto Raptors

Houston Rockets 113-121 Memphis Grizzlies

Washington Wizards 126-133 New Orleans Pelicans

San Antonio Spurs 93-116 Dallas Mavericks

Detroit Pistons 100-116 Phoenix Suns

Los Angeles Lakers 138-122 Utah Jazz