As in the heyday, the start of the match transformed into a duel between the Curry – Thompson – Green trio and LeBron James. The skill of the Warriors (7/10 at 3-points) and a good entry from Brandin Podziemski (13 points, 3/3 at 3-points) put the Warriors in front while the other Lakers finished the first quarter at 7 /20 on shots (38-26).
THE momentum of Golden State is stopped dead by a foul from Jonathan Kuminga on a shot from D'Angelo Russell (14 points, 3/11 on shots, 7 assists) from the middle of the field at the end of the first period. The leader of the Lakers and LeBron James then launched a 13-4 to return to the score (42-39). Steve Kerr then revives his executives. The defense raises the tone again and four new award-winning shots from Klay Thompson (27 points, 5/10 at 3-points), Andrew Wiggins (17 points), Draymond Green (15 points, 5/7 at 3-points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds), and Stephen Curry (23 points, 6/6 3-pointers, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) put the Warriors at +17 (58-41)!
Despite Golden State's 15/22 3-pointers, including 5/5 for Draymond Green, three winning shots from Austin Reaves in the last three minutes of the half kept the Lakers in ambush (71-60).
Chris Paul as a maestro
LeBron James and Rui Hachimura (20 points, 11 rebounds) allow Los Angeles to return to -6 while the Warriors' skill normalizes (77-71). Unfortunately for Darvin Ham's men, James' exit with 3 minutes 30 to play turns into a 16-5 Golden State lead with a perfect Chris Paul (11 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds) at the helm (106-89) .
The Warriors, however, let their guard down and lost two avoidable balls. The Lakers benefit immediately. LeBron James and Austin Reaves (22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) inflict a 9-0 on them in three minutes to restart the match (106-98). Chris Paul then plays the firefighters on duty. He stops the bleeding with a 3-point shot, finds Curry for another long shot, and creates a lay-up with experience to put the Warriors at +15 (119-104).
Two minutes later, two monstrous counterattacks from Draymond Green and Gary Payton II lead to two new award-winning shots which complete their offensive festival and put them back in the race for eighth place with three games to go!
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Warriors’ offensive festival. You are missing a being and everything is depopulated. That sums up the situation when Anthony Davis is not on the court for the Lakers against the Warriors. Without their pivot, the Lakers are incapable of slowing down Golden State and last night, Steve Kerr's men also had a devilish skill. They finished the match with 26 3-pointers at 63% success, on 37 assists!
– NBA record. With 26 3-pointers, the Warriors are one shot shy of their franchise record and three short of the NBA record. On the other hand, their address at 63.4% establishes a new record in an NBA game ! In addition to the “Splash Brothers (11/16 by far), it is Draymond Green (5/7), Andrew Wiggins (3/5), Brandin Podziemski (3/3), and Gary Payton II (2/3) who have demoralized the Lakers throughout the meeting.
– LeBron James essential. In a crucial match without Anthony Davis, we could bet that LeBron James was going to pull out all the stops. In 36 minutes, he was dominant. During the 12 minutes in which he played on the bench, the Lakers took on water, particularly during two sequences which decided the outcome of the meeting. When the King came out in the first quarter with four minutes to play, his team conceded a 17-10 putting the Warriors at +12. Again in the third quarter: when he comes out with 3:30 to play, the Warriors have gone from +6 to +17.
– The race for eighth place. Five days before the end of the regular season, this victory for Golden State reignites the suspense. The Kings (45v-34d), the Lakers (45v-35d), and the Warriors (44v-35d) are now in a tight spot to get eighth place in the West which gives two opportunities to validate a ticket for the playoffs. The Kings hold the tie-breaker against both teams but have the most difficult schedule (against the Pelicans, against the Suns, against the Blazers). The Warriors have the tie-breaker against the Lakers with three games to play (in Portland, against the Pelicans, against the Jazz). The Lakers (in Memphis, in New Orleans) no longer have their destiny in their hands.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
