SAN FRANCISCO — The Chase Center crowd was ready to explode all night, with its team riding a hot start to the season to create an anticipated home opener. Then it held its breath. Twice.
Late in the third quarter, star Steph Curry twisted his left ankle trying to maneuver his way through a screen. He limped to the bench, where he stretched out with an exercise band. Curry returned with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter for his usual substitution pattern.
But on the Warriors’ first possession, he again twisted the ankle and had to be helped to the trainer’s room. As the 36-year-old stayed in the locker room for the remainder of the game with a sprained left ankle, his teammates valiantly shaved the Clippers’ double-digit lead but ultimately fell short in a 112-104 loss. Golden State (2-1) committed too many turnovers and surrendered too many second-chance points, which amounted to its first loss of the season.
Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors’ comeback bid by scoring 11 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, but the Clippers’ advantage in the possession game was too much to overcome. Los Angeles took 23 more field goal attempts than the Warriors through the first three quarters. In all, they hauled in 14 offensive rebounds and forced the Warriors into 20 turnovers.
The Warriors won their first two games of the season by an NBA-record margin of victory of 77, getting off to as magnificent a start as possible. They pushed the pace, clamped down on defense, pl.