NBA Playoffs 2014, Clippers at Warriors final score: Golden State evens series with 118-97 victory

In what was as close to a must-win game as you can have without actually facing elimination, the Golden State Warriors rode their star, Stephen Curry, to a 118-97 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, evening their series at two games a piece on Sunday afternoon.

Curry finished with 33 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including seven-of-14 from beyond the arc and six-of-seven from the charity stripe. He also dished out seven assists and grabbed seven rebounds.

Andre Iguodala had 22 points, nine assists and four rebounds while David Lee, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes each scored 15 points.

As a team, the Warriors shot 55.4% from the floor and knocked down 15 of their 32 three-point attempts (46.9%). It’s nearly impossible to even compete with a team shooting that well.

Jamal Crawford had 26 points to lead the Clippers while Blake Griffin scored 21 and Chris Paul finished with 16 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Curry hit his first five three-pointers as the Warriors ended the first quarter with a 15-point lead. They extended the lead to 18 in the third quarter, but the Clippers, fought back, cutting the deficit to just 11 with 2:24 to play in the third quarter on a three-pointer from J.J. Redick. The Warriors responded with a 7-0 run to end the quarter to push the margin back to 18.

The Clippers threatened to back into the game several times during the final quarter, even cutting the lead to 96-87 on a Hedo Turkoglu three-pointer, but the Warriors did enough to maintain their lead and even this series.

Game 5 is Tuesday at 10:30 pm EST and the game is on TNT.

Game 1: Warriors 109, Clippers 105
Game 2: Clippers 138, Warriors 98
Game 3: Clippers 98, Warriors 96

For more on the Clippers and Warriors, visit Fully Clips and Blue Man Hoop.