Warriors’ Ian Clark stays ready despite sporadic playing time

Warriors' Ian Clark stays ready despite sporadic playing time LOS ANGELES — Late Wednesday night, after erupting for 21 points off the bench in the Warriors' rout of the Lakers, Ian Clark returned to his locker to find his iPhone flooded with the same GIF. Clark, straight-faced, pointing at Kevin Durant as Durant motioned Clark over to the bench with his index finger. After a four-game stretch in which he totaled 12 minutes and logged two DNPs, Clark has reminded skeptics of his long-range accuracy. The reserve guard is 11-of-18 from the field, including 7-of-10 from beyond the arc, during 39 minutes of mop-up duty in blowouts of Indiana and Los Angeles. Though rookie Patrick McCaw impressed in preseason, Clark did nothing to shed his front-runner status. McCaw has averaged 16.8 minutes in the eight games since returning Nov. 9 from an ankle injury that sidelined him for less than two weeks. With the starting backcourt of Curry (31 points) and Klay Thompson (26) limited after the Warriors raced to a 31-point halftime lead Wednesday, Clark powered a 69-point second half with his torrid outside shooting.