Steve Kerr praises Clippers defensive effort against the Warriors

Steve Kerr can only tip his hat to the gutsy Los Angeles Clippers for coming out with a solid road victory against his Golden State Warriors team.

In the postgame of his team's 112-104 Sunday loss, the Warriors head coach commended the Clippers for a job well done, especially on defense.

"The Clippers came in, and I give them a lot of credit," Kerr said. "They were great defensively, forced a lot of turnovers which really got into us. We didn't handle the pressure very well. We turned it over way too many times."

Defensive masterclass

Entering the marquee Sunday showdown, the Clippers emerged clamping with their defensive intensity against the Warriors.

Knowing the firepower and depth the Dubs possess, the Clips came out ready for the challenge. They held the Warriors to 43.2 percent shooting, in which Buddy Hield, who tallied 24.5 in his first two games, was ice-cold with an inconsistent 3-of-14 shooting (1-of-9 from threes) en route to 8 lowly points.

L.A. was also elite in picking up their assignments and guarding the perimeter, forcing 21 Warriors turnovers, leading to 21 points. Of all the team's defensive enforcers, Kris Dunn was an absolute standout, finishing with 6 points and four steals in 28 minutes off the bench.

"They deserved to win that game"

The Clippers have reasons to keep their foot off the gas pedal. They arrived in the Bay Area pursuing the second part of their back-to-back road games, coming off a grinding thriller win against the Nuggets in Denver last Saturday.

But in the end, the resilient Clippers shrugged off exhaustion and extended their winning ways before returning home to Inglewood.

"We had our chances. They hit a couple of big shots, and they deserved to win that game. We had been able to come back and win, it would have been fantastic. But the right team won," Kerr added. "The way they competed and especially coming off a back-to-back being in Denver yesterday, the Clippers were fantastic."

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