Blake Griffin was quiet in the first half but decided that the third quarter, especially early on, would be his time to shine as he scored nine points to help the Clippers take a 75-68 lead into the final period.
Griffin had eight of his nine points before the seven minute mark of the quarter but wasn't the only Clipper to get in on the act.
Caron Butler had eight points and the Clippers went on an 18-8 run to start the quarter. They took their largest lead of the game on a three-pointer by Butler that made it 63-53.
The Warriors and new head coach Mark Jackson resorted to a hack-a-DeAndre-Jordan strategy towards the end of the quarter in order to climb their way back into the game. Jordan hit three of his six freebies.
It's ugly offensively through three as the Clippers are shooting 43.3% from the field and the Warriors are even worse at 40.0%.
David Lee has 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors. Chauncey Billups has 14 points and Blake Griffin has 16 points and six rebounds for the Clippers.