INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Draymond Green sat at the podium after the Warriors’ 102-99 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night, scanning the box score and muttering two words under his breath: “Six turnovers.”
Green was referencing his own mistakes, as the Warriors’ third loss of the 2024-25 NBA season came at the hands of a Clippers team that has repeatedly forced Golden State into turnover trouble. This was the second time the Warriors had lost to the Clippers this season, with both games marked by a turnover-heavy performance from Golden State.
As a team, the Warriors committed 19 turnovers—one fewer than the Clippers—but those mistakes led to 31 points for Los Angeles. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr rotated through 11 players, and eight of them had at least one turnover, with Green’s six standing out as the most costly.
“I sucked tonight,” Green admitted bluntly when asked about his performance.
When asked if he was referring to the team or himself, Green was clear: “I sucked tonight. Way too many turnovers. Too many missed assignments. Yeah, I just sucked tonight.”
The game started with a mistake from Green just 16 seconds in. Attempting to pass the ball to a wide-open Trayce Jackson-Davis for an alley-oop, Green’s pass sailed too high, resulting in an out-of-bounds turnover. The Clippers capitalized on the miscue, scoring on their next possession.
Green’s second turnover came late in the first half, with just 5.1 seconds remaining, when he was called for an offensive foul while setting a screen for Stephen Curry. Despite a relatively quiet first half for Green, the Warriors’ 13 turnovers—two more than their 11 assists—helped the Clippers score 22 points off those mistakes, which set the tone for the game.
“It just set a tone,” Green said. “You hold a team to 102 points and give up 31 points off turnovers… Our defense was solid, but you can’t defend those turnovers. Like I said, I was awful, so that’s on me.”
Despite a strong second-half effort to claw back into the game, the Warriors couldn’t overcome their early mistakes, especially the turnovers Green committed when the game was still within reach. With just eight minutes left in the third quarter and Golden State down by eight, Green threw a pass directly into the hands of Norm Powell, who quickly found Kris Dunn for an open three-pointer—though Dunn stepped out of bounds, avoiding a basket.
Green’s next turnovers were even more damaging. Midway through the third quarter, with the Warriors down by just six, Green’s pass to Curry was intercepted by Dunn, who then drew a foul on Derrick Jones Jr., who converted both free throws. The most costly turnovers came late in the game. With just four minutes remaining in the fourth, Green threw a poor alley-oop attempt to Andrew Wiggins that was intercepted by Ivica Zubac, leading to a dunk by Amir Coffey.
The final blow came with 2:48 left in the game. Green attempted to pass the ball to Curry for a three, but the pass was tipped by Coffey and ultimately went out of bounds after Curry tried to save it. On the very next possession, Powell hit a crucial three-pointer, pushing the Clippers’ lead to 10.
Though the Warriors’ turnover woes were not solely Green’s fault, his accountability resonated with his teammates, including newcomer Buddy Hield, who praised Green for stepping up.
“He’s a winner, man,” Hield told NBC Sports Bay Area. “That’s why we respect what he says and what he does. Even though we don’t think it’s on him, he put it on himself because I know he feels like he can do better. Personally, I could have done better. We all could have done better. But that’s the kind of pressure he puts on himself, and I respect him for it.”
The Warriors have now committed a total of 40 turnovers in their two losses to the Clippers, giving up 51 points as a result. Green and the team know that their decision-making needs to improve if they’re to avoid more losses like this one. As Green put it, this was a game the Warriors could have won with smarter play from the start.
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