The two best marksmen in NBA history faced off Monday night: Clippers three-point king James Harden and Golden State long-range prodigy Stephen Curry brought excitement to the Intuit Dome.

They had one crowd moment in the first quarter when Harden hit a three-pointer so Curry could follow up with a three on the next possession.

For the Clippers, their focus was on slowing down a potent Warriors offense and stopping Curry, who started the game with 3,782 with the most three-pointers in NBA history.

The Clippers accomplished their goals on defense, holding off the Warriors just enough to earn a thrilling 102-99 victory that wasn’t sealed until the final buzzer.

Clippers guard Terance Mann (right) dunks over Golden State Warriors forward Kyle Anderson during the second half Monday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“No matter how we won, we won,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “So it doesn’t matter. Defensively, I thought we did a good job… and then rebounded the basketball.”

The Clippers appeared to be in control when they built a 10-point lead with 2:30 to go, but they failed to score the rest of the way.

After the Clippers’ 10-point lead was cut to three, a costly turnover in the final seconds nearly sent the game to overtime.

Golden State’s Gary Payton II stole the ball from Norman Powell with 21 seconds left. But Curry, who had 26 points and was six for 15 from three-point range, missed a three-pointer with 12 seconds left. Draymond Green got the rebound and the ball eventually went to Payton, who missed another three-point attempt with 2.2 seconds left to secure the Clippers’ second victory over Golden State (10-3) this season.

Both teams struggled with turnovers: the Clippers had 20 and the Warriors had 19.

Powell led the Clippers with 23 points, including five 3-pointers. Harden had 12 points and 16 assists, but was four for 15 from the field and two for six from three-point range.

“It was a little bit of everything,” Harden said. “We had chances to score. We turned the ball over a few times. They missed shots. We didn’t come back. They get offensive rebounds. They get more opportunities. So we are happy that we came out with the victory.”

Harden, who took sole possession of second place on the NBA’s all-time three-pointers list on Sunday, still found a way to play nearly 41 minutes despite not feeling well.

“We have a mission, we have a purpose,” he said. “For me, if I can run and still be myself… For example, I’ve had injuries where I couldn’t really run. So this little illness – where it’s tightness in the chest – wasn’t going to stop me from playing. I’m just happy that we came out with the win.”

The Clippers played well defensively in the first half, holding the Warriors to 45 points on 44.7% shooting, including 33.3% on threes. They took advantage of the Warriors’ thirteen turnovers to build an eleven-point halftime lead despite eleven turnovers.

The Warriors are averaging 121.3 points per game, the third-best mark in the NBA. They lead the league in assists (30.3), are second in three-point shooting percentage (39.2) and second in rebounding (49.0). The Clippers managed to overcome those lofty marks despite playing on back-to-back nights.

“I’m just really proud of our group,” Lue said. “It was a back-to-back and to come in tonight with this kind of effort, I’m just happy about that.”

Players and fans stand for the national anthem prior to Monday’s game between the Clippers and Golden State Warriors at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Injured Clippers star Kawhi Leonard watches from the bench during the Clippers’ win on Monday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Etc: Kawhi Leonard is still dealing with inflammation in his right knee and is out indefinitely. “He’s gone all week,” Lue said.

Asked to describe what Leonard was able to do, Lue said: “shoot a little bit.”