The Los Angeles Lakers have moved from fifth to third in the Western Conference. On Thursday night, they played the Golden State Warriors who moved from seventh to fifth. The Lakers are on a two-game win streak, recently beating the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena and the Memphis Grizzlies on their home court the game before. In the game against the Rockets, Lakers star LeBron James (16) and Luka Doncic (20) combined for 36 points. The Lakers had a significant offensive boost from Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent from the three-point line. Both scored 20 points. Could the Lakers continue their winning streak?
The Golden State Warriors are on a three-game winning streak, having recently beat the Memphis Grizzlies on their home court on April 1. Warriors star Stephen Curry scored a historic 12 three-pointers that game going 12-of-20 and scoring 52 points. Curry also had ten rebounds, eight assists, and five steals.
Golden State’s new addition, Jimmy Butler III, scored 27 points, going 12-for-12 from the free-throw line. The last time the Lakers and Warriors met up, the Lakers won 120-112. James had a double-double with 42 points and 17 rebounds. Could the Warriors keep climbing the Western Conference ranks and pile up more wins at the Lakers’ expense?
Classic Battle Of James vs. Curry
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors battled back and forth in the first half, but the Warriors were more fierce than the Lakers. James (8) and Doncic (6) both started slow, finishing the half with a combined 14 points. Rui Hachimura for the Lakers led the team with 13 points, followed by one of the best three options in the league, Austin Reaves, with 11 points. The Los Angeles Lakers shot 34% from the field and the three-point line. They would have only nine total assists after the first half.
The Warriors would have an unexpected player add to their scoring in the first half. Shooting Guard Brandin Podziemski scored 22 points in the first half and 6-of-7 seven from three-point land. The Golden State Warriors shot 45% from the three-point line and 48.8% from the field. Curry finished the half with 12 points, shooting 3-of-6 from the field and 1-of-4 from the three-point line. The Warriors turned the ball over eight times and outscored the Lakers in both quarters. Golden State led 60-45 at the half. Could the Lakers rally together and fight back against the Warriors?
Warriors Just Too Much For Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers came out in the third quarter guns blazing. James led the charge, driving into the middle of the lane, taking fouls, and making buckets. The Los Angeles Lakers started a 14-2 run and cut the lead to eight. By the end of the third quarter, the Lakers outscored the Warriors 30-26, but the Warriors still led 86-77. Doncic ended the quarter with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Only seven points would come from the Lakers bench in this game.
The Golden State Warriors pushed the lead back to ten throughout the second half. The Warriors and Lakers would play a tug of war with the score, and the Lakers would push down the lead only for the Warriors to push it back up. Curry finished the third quarter with 27 points and 6 assists. In the fourth quarter, the Warriors pushed the lead to as much as 13. The Lakers would get the lead down to five in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers could not beat the Warriors even with Reaves’ two late three-pointers.
The Warriors beat the Lakers 123-1116. The Warriors won this game, but the Los Angeles Lakers won the season series 3-1 against the Warriors. Curry ended the game with 37 points, 6 assists, and 2 rebounds. Doncic had an off-night, shooting 6-of-17 from the field and o-of-6 from the three-point line. James finished the night with 33 points shooting 10-for-15 from the field and 5-for-8 from three-point land. Reaves had 31 points, shooting 9-of-16 from the three-point line.
Final Thoughts
The Western Conference of the NBA is a pure dogfight from the third spot down to the eighth spot. Teams are only separated by one or two games, so each win or loss could drive you up to a better seed or drive you down into the play-in tournament.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors are trying to put their franchises in a better position to drive them deep into the playoffs. The Los Angeles Lakers dropped to the fourth spot after the loss, putting them half of a game behind the Denver Nuggets. With the win, the Golden State Warriors stay in fifth place but are one game behind the Lakers.
