The Los Angeles Lakers have been very excited the past few days with newly traded Point Guard Luka Doncic added to the roster. Doncic, injured at this point due to a calf issue, sat with them on the Lakers bench during their latest win, 122-97, against the Los Angeles Clippers. He watched LeBron James drop 26 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds that game. The ex-Mavs guard will not debut until Monday when the Lakers play the Indiana Pacers at home. Lakers fans will be able to get a first look at the new star, but for now, he will be watching the games from the bench, like Thursday night against the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors are experiencing some excitement of their own. Jimmy Butler has been added to the roster but will not debut with the Warriors until Saturday against the Chicago Bulls. He too watched from the bench as the Warriors battled the Lakers at Crytpo.com Arena. The Warriors were 4-6 in the last ten games. They went against a Laker squad that has been on a roll lately, winning eight of the previous ten games. Could James and company continue their winning streak?
King James Strikes Again
The Los Angeles Lakers set the tone earlier in the first half, scoring off the Golden State Warriors‘ mistakes in ten fastbreak points. James led the way in the second quarter dropping 18 points. Despite the Lakers good play and gaining a good lead, the Warriors would end the first half on a 32-12 late run. The Lakers would lead the Warriors by 20 at halftime. James and the Los Angeles Lakers would continue to battle with the Warriors in the second half, but it would be too much for them.
Lakers Shooting Guard Austin Reaves would finish the game with 23 points, shooting 15-of-16 for the free throw line. Also, point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, Gabe Vincent, would shoot 5-of-8 from three-point land, scoring 15 points. James would add the final nail in the coffin with his sixth three-pointer of the game after going 5-of-5 in the first half to push the Lakers to a 120-112 win over the Warriors. James would end the game with 42 points, shooting 14-of-25 from the field, 17 rebounds, and eight assists. James would get another win over Stephen Curry.
Warrior Struggles
The Los Angeles Lakers did win over the Golden State Warriors but blew a 26-point lead. Curry scored 37 points, shooting 13-of-35 from the field and 6-of-20 from the three-point line. The Golden State Warriors would shoot 40% from the field. Warriors Point Guard Buddy Hield would end the game with 15 points, and Shooting Guard Moses Moody would score 14 points, going 4-of-10 from the field.
According to ESPN, the Warriors were without Power Forward Jonathan Kuminga, who suffered an ankle injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Kuminga averages 16 points at 45.9%, five rebounds, and two assists a game. The Warriors were also without Gui Santos who had a knee situation. He is listed as day-to-day. Everyone is waiting for Butler to debut to see if trading away Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Anderson, and Lindy Waters III was worth it.
Final Thoughts
The Los Angeles Lakers grabbed another win, and James wowed the NBA world again. The Lakers are still at the top of the Pacific division and fifth in the Western Conference. NBA and Laker fans are anxious to see Doncic hit the court with “King James.” Could adding Doncic put the Los Angeles Lakers into top contenders for the Western Conference title and add another NBA title to the franchise legacy?
