**LOS ANGELES** – The Los Angeles Clippers showed great respect for the Golden State Warriors, but they remained focused on their task at hand on November 18 at the Intuit Dome. Despite the Warriors’ reputation, the Clippers held off a late surge to secure a 102-99 victory.
Norman Powell led the Clippers with 23 points, including five three-pointers, as they improved to 8-7 for the season by defeating the Warriors (10-3). Los Angeles had a 15-point lead late in the second quarter, but the Warriors fought back, narrowing the margin to just three points by the end of the third quarter. The Clippers maintained their composure in the fourth quarter, and a missed three-pointer from Gary Payton II at the buzzer sealed the win for Los Angeles.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 26 points, while Andrew Wiggins added 22. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue praised his team for their resilience, saying, “I told them, ‘They (the Warriors) are the No. 1 team in the West for a reason,’ but we’re still up by three points, and we’re playing at home. I’m proud of the team. They made a big run, and we were able to keep our composure and come away with the win.”
In another game, Damian Lillard made an impact in his return from a three-game concussion layoff, scoring a driving lay-up with 3.9 seconds left to give the Milwaukee Bucks a crucial 101-100 victory over the Houston Rockets. Houston, riding a five-game winning streak, had a 13-point lead early in the game, but Milwaukee responded to lead by 12 points at halftime. The Rockets regained the lead in the fourth quarter, but Lillard’s late heroics helped the Bucks secure the win.
Lillard finished with 18 points and 10 assists, admitting the concussion layoff had been challenging. “Normally, I feel like I can will myself through it, but this was probably one of the first times in my NBA career where I felt like something was off,” he said. “It was a little frustrating. I just didn’t like not being with the team.”
Brook Lopez led the Bucks with 27 points, and Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed 20. Fred VanVleet led Houston in scoring.
Meanwhile, at the Footprint Centre, Franz Wagner scored 32 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 109-99 win over the injury-depleted Phoenix Suns. Phoenix, missing key players like Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Jusuf Nurkic, dropped their fourth straight game, falling to 9-6 after a strong 8-1 start. Suns coach Mike Budenholzer encouraged his team to stay resilient despite the injury struggles.
“Just stay together. You’ve got to keep going, keep doing the work and keep your head up,” Budenholzer said. “This group will do that. They’re very resilient.”
In another game, Jimmy Butler scored 30 points with 10 rebounds and five assists to lead the Miami Heat to a dominant 106-89 victory over the struggling Philadelphia 76ers. Tyler Herro added 18 points for Miami, while the 76ers, who had led by 19 points early, continued to struggle with a 2-11 record. Joel Embiid, despite 11 points, couldn’t prevent the loss for Philadelphia.
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