The Golden State Warriors (23-3) made a trip to Staples Center to face the Los Angeles Lakers (8-19). Lakers head coach Byron Scott announced pregame that Kobe Bryant would not play, due to rest, although there was plenty of debate as to Bryant’s taking so many shots it was ruining the Lakers’ teamwork. David Lee was back again for the Warriors, but would be limited to 15 minutes of play.
1ST QUARTER: Falling Apart
The Warriors pulled away early after Stephen Curry split the defense on the pick-and-roll from the left elbow and got a baby right-handed hook to go in the lane. Harrison Barnes got a dunk with an explosion to the lane and Festus Ezeli got his own dunk as well as Thompson delivered a perfect beautiful left-handed bounce pass past Wayne Ellington and Jordan Hill on the slip by Ezeli on the pick-and-roll.
But the Lakers answered with their own buckets at the rim as Hill slammed one home on a baseline out-of-bounds play where Ezeli and the Warriors looked as if they fell asleep, then Wesley Johnson drove past Barnes from the right corner and swooped in for a lay-in. At the first timeout, the Lakers held the lead, 13-11, with 5:49 to go.
After the timeout, Curry deflected a Ronnie Price pass, then in transition, stepped back for a three-pointer in Price’s face, yet it was a turnover by the Lakers that seemed to turn the tide.
Johnson used a high screen against Andre Iguodala and got a ferocious slam dunk on the drive, but was called, rightfully, for traveling has he took an extra hop on the jump-step. Still, the ease by which he got by Iguodala seemed to be an omen, with Iguodala seemingly a step slow tonight.
Draymond Green also seemed to be out of rhythm, missing his first four shots, but Marreese Speights putback his last miss and Curry got through the perimeter defense of the Lakers for a layup, before David Lee and Shaun Livingston checked in with 3:20 to go.
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The Lakers didn’t miss on eight straight attempts and after a Speights power move and a Thompson turnaround jumper against Jeremy Lin with Carlos Boozer showing help, it was Lakers, 25-22, with 1:30 to go at another TV timeout. The Warriors were getting out-rebounded 11-5 and only dished out 2 assists.
The Lakers then blitzed the Warriors, as Iguodala made a bad pass on a 3-on-2 to a trailing Speights, with Lin answering with a three. Boozer got an uncontested dunk as Robert Sacre screened out Speights, perhaps the most glaring rim-protection issue with Andrew Bogut out again, and Speights followed that up with a bad pass from the out of bounds on the made bucket.
Ronnie Price got the steal and missed the three-pointer, but Nick Young got the putback, and-one, over Thompson. The Lakers were shooting 61% and took a 34-24 lead into the second quarter.
2ND QUARTER: Another Late Lakers Run
The second quarter started off slowly, as Justin Holiday got the start in the second frame. Lin finally broke the combined drought with a three-pointer thanks to a Boozer screen up top on Livingston.
Turnovers would do the Warriors in again, and they were ugly. Iguodala charged into Lin on a poorly executed Euro-step attempt, then made a pass that went right into Young’s leg. Lin then picked a Green high-action pass to Curry and Jordan Clarkson finished off the sequence with a two-handed cocked slam on the other end.
Even after Curry made a brilliant layup, taking an extra dribble step as the defense anticipated him initiating the contact, the next time he got in the lane, Holiday was too close to him on the cut and the ball bounced off Holiday’s body. Young went into the backcourt to retrieve the loose ball in the far right corner and, of course, elected to shoot the three ball with the Warriors hurrying back on defense.
It went through and the Lakers led, 44-30, with 6:18 to play in the half.
Lin then got two straight passes to a cutting Ed Davis, with the second leading to an emphatic dunk, while Ezeli missed a dunk, and Young got a bucket to go one-on-one versus Thompson.
Still, Thompson and Curry kept the Warriors in the game with Klay getting a three from the furthest part of the arc under duress, getting another trey from the opposite side after Curry slung a one-handed lob pass that Young nearly intercepted, and Curry making nice moves to the Lakers interior for layups.
But the Lakers ended the half again in spectacular fashion, as Ezeli tweaked his ankle and Johnson nailed a triple in Barnes’ face as the Lakers went down the floor 5-on-4. Young then found Johnson on a gorgeous alley oop.
Barnes, who had trouble at the rim tonight, then missed a putback of a missed Thompson three-point attempt, but Klay tracked down the miss and got a reverse layup to go before the buzzer sounded. It was an ugly 63-48 deficit for the Warriors, who had committed 12 turnovers.
The Warriors also only had 7 assists on 18 made field goals. Curry and Thompson had 13 points apiece, Johnson and Davis countered with 12 apiece and Sacre added 11. Green, Barnes, and Iguodala were a combined 1-for-11.
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