Green bailed out the Warriors again, grabbing a rebound, getting fouled by DeAndre Jordan and making a pair of free throws to push the score to 100-96. Barnes eventually cut it to 100-99 on a trey, but there wasn't enough time left for the Clippers to equalize.
This series was billed as Lob City vs. the Splash Brothers, but Game 6 was anything but fancy. It was a rugged, grueling affair won with rebounds and second efforts.
"I'm proud of these guys," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "It wasn't our best night. We missed 14 free throws. We shoot 39 percent from the field. Klay (Thompson) gets nine points. And we win a ballgame. I look forward to Game 7."
With the Warriors having trouble putting big bodies on the floor and the Clippers uncharacteristically finding it difficult to score in the paint, Stephen Curry was the only reliable scorer for much of the night. He rebounded from a quiet Game 5 to score 14 points in the first quarter, and finished with 24.
Thursday's game was a true war of attrition, with three players from each team — Green, David Lee and Marreese Speights for the Warriors, and Griffin, Redick and Chris Paul for the Clippers — entering the fourth quarter with four fouls each. The problem caught up to Lee at 9:44 of the fourth quarter, when he picked up his sixth foul on a reverse layup by Griffin and left the game. Griffin and Redick would also foul out.
The Warriors, already thin in the post with Andrew Bogut (rib) and Festus Ezeli (knee) out, took a hit early in the second quarter when Los Angeles' Glen Davis lowered his head and ran into Jermaine O'Neal, knocking the veteran center to the ground. O'Neal had to be helped to the bench with a sprained right knee, and did not play again.
His backup, Speights, picked up his fourth foul at 6:33 of the second quarter and joined O'Neal on the bench for most of the night.
With all that going on, the Warriors still managed to dominate the Clippers inside in the first half, scoring 18 points in the paint to Los Angeles' six, and outrebounding the visitors 31-25. Green led Golden State with nine rebounds in the first half.
The Warriors weren't the only ones hampered. Paul, the star point guard who has been battling a sore hamstring throughout the series, looked less than full speed Thursday, and picked up his fourth foul on a charge just 2:26 into the third quarter.
"He's dealing with a lot of stuff, but listen, he's on the floor and Golden State doesn't care. Bottom line," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said.
The Clippers broke out to a 14-5 lead early in the game, powered by Jordan's intimidating presence inside, but the Warriors came back to tie the game 25-25 by the end of the first quarter.
(You can reach Phil Barber at pbarber@pressdemocrat.com.)
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