Warriors stun Clippers in Hawai’i pre-season opener with Waters’ buzzer-beater 

HONOLULU – Fans came for Steph Curry, but it was Lindy Waters III that gave them the show. 

The Golden State Warriors stunned the Los Angeles Clippers in the preseason opener for both teams, 91-90, in front of a raucous, sold-out Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawai’i. It was the second consecutive year that the Clippers have come to Hawai’i to begin training camp and play a preseason game and was the first time the Warriors had held training camp in the islands since Curry was drafted.  

Hawai’i fans were treated to just over a quarter’s worth of action from Steph, who went 0-for-4 from 3-point range and just 2-of-8 overall after a long summer of travel and competition for the USA men’s basketball team in the Olympics. The Warriors played 19 players throughout the afternoon, including veteran Draymond Green and offseason additions De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson. 

The Clippers held a three-point lead after a quarter of play, 26-23, despite committing nine turnovers as a team. James Harden tacked together a team-best nine points in the first 12 minutes of action, drilling a pair of 3-pointers and going a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. 

Another five turnovers in the 2nd quarter and an 0-of-7 showing from 3-point range for the Clippers combined with the Warriors shooting 50 percent from the field saw Golden State swing in front for the halftime break by four, 53-49, to the delight of many fans in attendance. 

Rotations shifted once the second half began as stars on both teams like Curry, Green and Harden became glued to the bench after getting their toes wet for the 2024-25 season in the first half of the preseason opener. The Warriors allowed younger starters such as Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga and Brandon Podziemski to play into the third while Lindy Waters III, who was acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the offseason, made his first entrance in the game. 

The result was an ugly 3rd quarter for the visiting Warriors as Los Angeles’ defense, under the watchful eye of new assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy, held Golden State to 25 percent shooting (6-of-24 FG) in the frame. The Clippers would shoot 40 percent from the floor in the meantime, using a pair of Bones Hyland triples to take a two-point advantage into the final frame. 

Then, it was Lindy Waters III time. 

The 6-foot-6 forward drilled four 3-pointers on five attempts in the 4th quarter, including the game-winner as time expired. Down by two, Waters worked his way towards the right wing and elevated just in front of the Clippers bench to knock down the decider and give Golden State a 91-90 lead with no time left on the clock and send the arena into a frenzy.

Waters III led all scorers with a game-high 15 points (5-of-7 3PT) in the preseason opener. Former lottery pick Moses Moody added 12 points in 13 minutes off the bench for the Warriors while offseason addition De’Anthony Melton poured in eight points in his first appearance for Golden State. 

Clippers center Ivica Zubac paced scorers for Los Angeles, tallying 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 day at the free throw line. James Harden ended his first preseason game with the organization with 13 points while Kobe Brown and Norman Powell each chipped in 11 points apiece. 

The Clippers return to the continent for the remainder of the NBA preseason with a home matchup in the brand-new Intuit Dome against the Brooklyn Nets on October 8 up next. The Warriors will be back in action on October 9 when they visit another Pacific Division foe in the Sacramento Kings. 

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL LASQUERO & KU’ULEI AGBAYANI