Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins, center, dunks as Los Angeles Clippers forward Tobias Harris, left, and Warriors forward Draymond Green watch during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 18, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES — Stephen Curry scored 28 points, DeMarcus Cousins added 14 before fouling out of his Warriors debut after being sidelined for nearly a year, and Golden State pulled away in the third quarter to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 112-94 on Friday night for its seventh straight victory and sixth in a row on the road.
The Warriors shot just 9 of 37 on 3-pointers on a night when Curry made only three from long range. Fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson missed all four of his 3-point attempts.
Cousins shot 5 for 11 from the floor and finished with six rebounds and three assists during his first game since Jan. 26, 2018, when he ruptured his left Achilles tendon playing for New Orleans. He missed the rest of last season, including nine playoff games for the Pelicans. The Warriors signed him last July.
With Cousins finally in the lineup, Golden State became the first team in 42 years to start five All-Stars from the previous season.
Instead of his usual scowl, Cousins left the court after his sixth foul at 8:51 of the fourth smiling and high-fiving his new teammates. Curry and Kevin Durant, who scored 24 points, looked happy, too.
Cousins went out with a bang. He got his fifth foul just 30 seconds into the fourth and then made two consecutive 3-pointers — holding up three fingers — that extended the Warriors’ lead to 87-72.
Curry scored 14 of Golden State’s 29 points in the third, including their final eight for an 81-72 lead.
Tobias Harris led the short-handed Clippers with 28 points. Rookie guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied his career high with 24 in their season-worst fifth straight loss. They played without injured Lou Williams, and Danilo Gallinari left with lower back spasms.
Cousins picked up his third foul 32 seconds into the second quarter. Then he hit a 3-pointer for the Warriors’ first basket of the period, bringing loud cheers from their many fans at Staples Center.
Cousins missed his first shot but came right back with a one-handed slam off Durant’s bounce pass for the Warriors’ first basket. Cousins was called for two fouls in the first three minutes and sat down.
The Warriors took their first double-digit lead in the first four minutes of the third when the Clippers missed their initial six shots. Golden State opened on a 14-2 run with five different players scoring, including a basket by Cousins before getting his fourth foul, to go up 66-53.
Draymond Green got two technical fouls in the second quarter, the second one for swinging from the basket after a high-flying dunk that sent the Warriors into halftime leading 52-51.
Neither team led by more than six in the first half.
TIP-INS
Warriors: They’re in LA for five days. “I unpacked my bag for the first time ever on a road trip,” said coach Steve Kerr, who plans to catch up with friends from San Diego during the down time. … Durant got a technical in the third. … They’ve had 10 turnovers in each of their last four games. … Lead the season series 2-1. … G Shaun Livingston, drafted fourth overall by the Clippers in 2004, visited retiring Clippers play-by-play announcer Ralph Lawler before the game. … Golden State’s longest win streak of the season is eight games from Oct. 22 to Nov. 5.
Clippers: Had just 11 assists. … Gallinari scored one point in eight minutes. … Williams has a sore right hamstring. He’s the NBA’s leading bench scorer at 18.7 points per game. He missed four games last month with a sore left hamstring. … Clippers coach Doc Rivers got a technical for the second straight game. … Patrick Beverley earned a technical while on the bench. … The teams’ last regular-season meeting is April 7. … Coolio performed at halftime. Emma Stone, Jennifer Garner (who sat with team owner Steve Ballmer), Ellen Pompeo and Billy Crystal attended.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Play at the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday before heading East for the rest of a five-game trip.
Clippers: At the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday to begin a four-game trip.