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Nothing quells the subtle sting of a 125-107 preseason loss to the Warriors quite like the fact that the Clippers stars weren't playing.
Doc Rivers announced pre-game that Chris Paul and Blake Griffin would sit out to get some rest, joining Jordan Farmar (back) and Glen Davis (groin) on the sideline. This move led to a hodgepodge of a starting lineup that in the regular season would look, at the very least, less than promising: Jared Cunningham, J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes, Spencer Hawes and DeAndre Jordan.
A non-guaranteed combo guard, Cunningham made the most of his time at the point tonight, scoring a team-high 23 on 40% shooting. Cunningham hasn't seen a lot of burn throughout the preseason, but he may have very well played himself into a roster spot tonight. He controlled the Clippers offense well throughout the first half, and looked right at home tossing a casual lob to DeAndre Jordan and throwing down an electric tomahawk jam of his own. Just for good measure, he added a little sauce to the defense and drew a charge against Klay Thompson. For what it's worth, Cunningham looked more at home in the backup guard position in one game than I've seen Reggie Bullock look in his entire career.
Matt Barnes continued his depressing offensive performance, and hit only one of seven shots. As far as shooting slumps go, the preseason is a good time to have one, and it looks like Matt's is on schedule to end on or before October 30th. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.
Meanwhile, the Warriors shot a scathing, scorching, rude and impossible to maintain 59% from the field, matching that mark from beyond the arc. Stephen Curry led the way with 27 points and was 4-5 from three. Splash away, little one, splash away.
It's a bad idea to read too much into the preseason in general, but that's even more true for one game, especially when the two biggest components on your team didn't dress. The Clippers' offensive inconsistencies have lingered throughout the preseason, but these shooting slumps never last, and the in-game rotations are hardly worked out. It's another exhibition loss, yes, and two more may be right around the corner. We'll certainly see how much these matter next Thursday against the Thunder.