Warriors ride new-look starting lineup to win over Clippers

While most of his colleagues vacationed in tropical locales, Warriors manager of basketball analytics Sammy Gelfand pored over numbers. His assignment was imperative to the stretch run of the regular season: Wade through analytics for the defending NBA champions' most pressing flaws. Gelfand found that, despite having the same starting lineup, Golden State's defensive rating in the first five minutes was significantly worse than it was last season. Such data prompted head coach Steve Kerr to make a rare mid-season rotation switch, supplanting center Zaza Pachulia in the first unit with JaVale McGee. It helped pave the way for the Warriors' 134-127 win Thursday night over the Clippers at Oracle Arena.