Santa Cruz Warriors Drop First Half of Back-To-Back Series Against San Diego Clippers, 123-89

Sports stats



G League Santa Cruz Warriors

Santa Cruz Warriors Drop First Half of Back-To-Back Series Against San Diego Clippers, 123-89

December 15, 2024 - NBA G League (G League)
Santa Cruz Warriors News Release


SANTA CRUZ, CA - The Santa Cruz Warriors (6-7) dropped the opening game of a weekend back-to-back series against the San Diego Clippers (8-5), 123-89, at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Saturday night.

Two-way center Quinten Post led all scorers, recording 22 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Forward Blake Hinson, in his first start of the season, finished with 15 points and five rebounds, and Gui Santos, on assignment from Golden State, followed closely behind with 12 points, six assists, and five rebounds.

Guard RayJ Dennis and forward Braxton Key both recorded 21 points for San Diego, and Key contributed an additional nine rebounds and seven assists. Guard Elijah Harkless finished the game with 18 points, four rebounds, and five steals. Guard Cam Christie (15 points), forward Tosan Evbuomwan (13 points), two-way guard Trentyn Flowers (13 points), and guard Nate Darling (12 points) all had double-digit performances for the Clippers.

San Diego was firing on all cylinders to start the contest, connecting on their first four three-point attempts to jump out to an early 16-7 lead. Five consecutive points from Quinten Post helped the home side shrink their deficit to 18-14 halfway through the opening frame, but the Clippers kept their momentum going to take a 41-27 advantage into the second period. Despite a valiant fighting effort from the Warriors, San Diego continued to capitalize on their offensive opportunities in the second frame to widen the margin to as many as 31 points before ultimately closing the half with a 75-48 edge over Santa Cruz.

Hinson and Santos connected on back-to-back threes coming out of the halftime break to revitalize the home crowd, but nine Warriors turnovers in the third quarter prevented the Sea Dubs from making significant progress in closing the gap, and San Diego remained firmly in control for the remainder of the period to retain a 102-71 lead heading into the final frame. Santa Cruz continued to make a concerted effort to regain footing in the fourth quarter, finding different ways to affect the game as eight different Warriors players grabbed at least one rebound. However, the Clippers gave no leeway, and San Diego held off the Sea Dubs through the final buzzer to defeat Santa Cruz, 123-89, in the first game of the back-to-back series.

The Warriors and Clippers will face off again tomorrow evening on Sunday, December 15 (5 p.m. tip-off) to close out the Tip-Off Tournament. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a Sea Dubs Sleeping Mask, courtesy of Courtyard Santa Cruz by Marriott. The Santa Cruz Warriors will then head to the G League Winter Showcase the following weekend. Stay up to date with the latest Santa Cruz Warriors news, scores, and exclusive content by downloading the official Santa Cruz Warriors app for iOS and Android. Fans interested in securing the best seats at the lowest price are encouraged to call (831) 713-4400, email scwtickets@warriors.com, or visit santacruzbasketball.com for more information.

Check out the Santa Cruz Warriors Statistics

• Discuss this story on the NBA G League message board...

NBA G League Stories from December 15, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central