Davis, Warriors down Clippers

Matt Barnes contributed 16 points and Stephen Jackson had 15 for Golden State, which has won its last three contests following a six-game skid. The Warriors, who haven’t been to the playoffs since the 1993-94 season, have their longest winning streak since a five-game surge in November.

Golden State is within 1 1/2 games of the Clippers for the eighth spot in the Western Conference, and the postseason buzz was evident at the end of the game, as the Warriors received a big ovation from the playoff-starved crowd.

"I think the reason we’ve won the three games is because we’ve been playing great defense as a team," Jackson said. "Everybody from the bench guys to the starters have been playing defense and we can score points. We know that but we’ve got to go out there and try to guard guys. We’ve been doing that the last few games and we’ve got to keep that up."

Corey Maggette had 20 points for the Clippers, who never led and suffered their second consecutive defeat. Cuttino Mobley added 15 points and Tim Thomas tallied 14 points and nine boards for the visitors.

"We have to play with confidence, play loose," LA’s Elton Brand said. "We can’t put any added pressure on ourselves and we’re trying to catch the teams ahead of us with the teams behind us trying to make a charge. It’s a tight race."

The Warriors led by as many as 18 points before the Clippers made a game of it in the fourth.

Barnes’ layup moved the Warriors to an 87-72 advantage 13 seconds into the fourth, but Daniel Ewing’s bucket capped a 15-4 run, bringing LA within four.

A pair of Mobley free throws still had the Clippers within four at 93-89 with 3:23 remaining, but Jackson responded with a tip-in, and the Clippers bumbled their way down the stretch, missing their final nine shots.

Davis essentially sealed the win as his fadeaway jumper stretched the margin to 97-89 with a minute remaining.

The Warriors led 36-32 after one quarter and 55-38 at the half.

Game Notes

The season series is even through four games...Golden State held a 48-35 advantage on the glass...Monta Ellis and Al Harrington each scored 12 for the Warriors...Brand and Jason Hart each had 11 points for LA.