The Clippers cannot maintain their lead at the end of the first half and fall to the Warriors

San Francisco — Jimmy Butler scored 21 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Stephen Curry added 19 points and eight assists, leading the Golden State Warriors to victory over the Clippers. 98-79 Tuesday night.

Curry shot 7-for-15 on the night after four Warriors players scored 20 or more points to beat Memphis — but it was only the sixth time in Curry’s 17 seasons that he wasn’t one of them.

Butler and Moses Moody both hit 3-pointers late in the third quarter as the Warriors used a 10-2 run in the final 2:07 to take a 78-63 lead starting in the fourth quarter.

Brandin Podzemski followed up his 23-point performance against the Grizzlies with 12 points, while Quentin Post scored 12 points on four 3-pointers and eight rebounds.

James Harden scored all 20 of his points in the first half, while Kawhi Leonard added 18 points and grabbed five rebounds in a game that saw Golden State lead by 13 points in the second quarter, followed by the Clippers third with 14 points.

Harden’s hat-trick 41 seconds before the end of the first half gave the Clippers their first lead before halftime with a score of 49-46 after ending the second quarter with a score of 24-6.

Ivica Zubac contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds, a season-best for the Clippers, who went 6-for-33 from long range and 30-of-82 overall (36.6%).

The Clippers have won the last seven games in the series and three straight at Chase Center, as the Warriors improve to 3-0 so far.

Al Horford returned for the Warriors against a tall, physical Clippers team that includes the 7-foot-1 Zubac after sitting out the front end to manage a left toe injury.

The Clippers started six-for-20 and one-for-eight on threes to trail 27-14 on a night in which Bradley Beal missed a second straight game with back pain.