SAN FRANCISCO — The Los Angeles Clippers’ road struggles continued Tuesday night as they fell apart in the second half, dropping a 98-79 decision to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. The loss dropped the Clippers to 2-2 on the season and marked their second consecutive blowout defeat away from home, raising serious concerns about this team’s ability to compete outside Intuit Dome.
Harden Goes Cold After Hot Start
James Harden looked unstoppable in the first half, pouring in all 20 of his points before halftime as the Clippers took a 49-46 lead into the break. But everything changed after the half.
Golden State’s defensive adjustments, including aggressive double teams, completely neutralized the All-Star guard. Harden failed to score a single point in the final two quarters, managing just two field goal attempts as the Warriors’ defense suffocated him.
“We didn’t make shots,” James Harden said of his assessment of the Clippers’ loss. “Simple.”
When I asked Harden if fatigue was a factor tonight, the guard shrugged and replied, “Yeah.” Harden scored 20 points in the first half but was scoreless in 12 second-half minutes.
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) October 29, 2025
The inability to get Harden involved down the stretch proved fatal for Los Angeles. Without their primary playmaker creating offense, the Clippers managed just 30 second-half points and watched their three-point lead evaporate into a 19-point blowout.
Leonard Can’t Find His Rhythm
Kawhi Leonard finished with 18 points and five rebounds, but the two-time Finals MVP never found a consistent groove against Golden State’s length.
The Warriors threw multiple defenders at Leonard throughout the night, forcing him into difficult shots and disrupting his timing. He struggled particularly in the third quarter when the Clippers needed him most, much like the rest of the team, unable to counter Golden State’s defensive intensity.
After clawing back from a rough start to take a halftime lead, the Clippers completely unraveled in the third quarter. Los Angeles managed just 14 points in the quarter, while the Warriors exploded for 32, turning a competitive game into a rout. Golden State’s Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody hit back-to-back threes during a decisive 10-2 run over the final 2:07 of the quarter that pushed the Warriors’ lead to 78-63.
Third Quarter Warriors are back?
On the season, GSW has outscored opponents 171 to 121 in third quarters. +50 through five games. Averaging 34.2 points per 3Q. Just beat the Clippers 32-14 in the third with their best defensive period of the season.
— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) October 29, 2025
“Challenging every shot, keeping them off the free throw line,” Butler said of Golden State’s defensive effort. “It always helps to make shots so we can get back in transition. Guys are confident, happy, playing some great basketball.”
The Clippers just had no answers as the game slipped away.
The numbers tell an ugly story. The Clippers shot just 36.5 percent from the field and a miserable 20 percent from three-point range. Los Angeles started the game ice-cold, going 6-for-20 overall and 1-for-8 from deep to quickly fall behind 27-14, and while they rallied with a 24-6 run to close the second quarter, the shooting woes returned with a vengeance after halftime.
Ivica Zubac provided some interior presence, but the Clippers desperately missed perimeter shooting and couldn’t generate quality looks against Golden State’s swarming defense.
For the second straight game, the Clippers were without Bradley Beal due to lingering back soreness after the three-time All-Star took a charge against Phoenix last Friday and hasn’t been able to recover. His absence left gaping holes in the Clippers’ backcourt rotation and robbed them of a crucial scoring option when Harden went silent.
Asked Tyronn Lue about the turnovers (which have been there in every game) and the shooting struggles (which hit a nadir point tonight)
T. Lue: “…We are missing a key component, which is Bradley Beal, who gives us a shooter, a guy who can playmake, a guy who can handle…” pic.twitter.com/ctL1hU3s2E
— Law Murray 🎃 (@LawMurrayTheNU) October 29, 2025
Without Beal’s offensive firepower, head coach Tyronn Lue had limited options to generate points, especially when the Warriors tightened the screws defensively in the second half.
The blowout loss is part of a troubling pattern for the Clippers away from home. After getting destroyed 129-108 by Utah in their season opener at Salt Lake City, Los Angeles now has two ugly road defeats in their first four games. The contrast between their home performances and road struggles is worrying.
Clippers get blown out in Golden State and fall to 2-2. Both of their losses have been blowouts on the road.
Two days off before playing at home on Friday against the… Pelicans.
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) October 29, 2025
The Clippers have looked like a different team on the road—disjointed, lacking energy, and unable to match their opponents’ intensity. If this trend continues, it could doom their playoff hopes regardless of how well they play at Intuit Dome.
The Clippers desperately need to regroup as they return home to host New Orleans on Friday night. With questions mounting about their road identity and Beal’s health status still uncertain, Los Angeles faces a critical stretch where they need to find answers quickly. This veteran roster has to figure things out before the road woes become a season-defining problem in a loaded Western Conference.