After a remarkable first half led by LeBron James, the Lakers withstood a second-half rally from the Warriors to continue their winning ways on Thursday, earning a 120-112 victory.
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LA led by as many as 26 in the first half but watched Steph Curry pull the Warriors back into the game in the fourth before eventually outlasting the visitors. With the win, the Lakers secure the season series over Golden State.
LeBron James scored 23 of his 42 points in the first half. He also grabbed 17 rebounds and dished eight assists. He became the second player in league history to score 40 points after turning 40 years old.
Austin Reaves struggled mightily, going 4-17 from the field and 0-9 from the 3-point line. He redeemed himself a bit by going 15-16 from the free throw line for his 23 points. Gabe Vincent picked up the slack as he went 5-8 from behind the arc and ended with 15 points.
Jaxson Hayes pitched in with 11 points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Jarred Vanderbilt had arguably his best game since his return, grabbing 14 rebounds to go with his five points. Rui Hachimura chipped in 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.
The Lakers had an astounding 35-9 advantage in fastbreak points, which played a massive part in the win.
The game began with a turnover, but that was rectified with Jaxson blocking Steph Curry on the other end. Austin converted on a layup and was fouled, completing the three-point play. LeBron and Rui both drained 3-pointers.
Dorian-Finney Smith threw a pass to LeBron, who took it to the basket for a two-handed jam. LA was up three when the Warriors called their first timeout.
Los Angeles kicked it up a notch and Austin and Jaxson knocked down some shots to give LA a nine-point lead. Dorian added to the lead by draining a 3-pointer. Golden State called another timeout after LA’s run extended to 11-0.
Buddy Hield knocked down two quick threes. Gabe Vincent drained two 3-pointers in a row for LA in response. Los Angeles’ defense kept the Warriors from making shots they’d usually drain consistently. At the end of the first, the purple and gold were up 13.
The second quarter began with a dunk by Jaxson on the assist from LeBron. Steph not only missed threes, but he missed two consecutive layups in a row. LeBron drained two 3-pointers in a row, then pulled up from the logo to make it three-in-a-row, forcing Golden State to call timeout.
LeBron was unconscious from behind the arc, draining his fifth. The Lakers were doing everything right while the Warriors drowned in a pool of missed shots. Gabe hit another 3-pointer and was up to nine points off the bench.
With 4:29 left until halftime, LA had put up 59 points and held the Warriors to 33 until Steph finally drained a 3-pointer.
A 7-0 run from Golden State forced the Lakers to call a timeout to regroup. Pat Spencer scored seven points, helping the Warriors during this mini-run.
Austin pulled out a crossover and finished at the basket for a layup and LeBron threw a pass to Rui for a fastbreak dunk to extend LA’s lead to 24. LeBron capped off a huge first half by taking the ball to the basket for a nasty one-handed dunk.
At halftime, LA was up 20.
Moses Moody drained a 3-pointer to start things off in the second half. Buddy hit a 3-pointer shortly after. The Warriors were off to a nice 8-0 run.
LeBron stopped the run with a teardrop. Gabe made another 3-pointer, but no other shots were falling for the Lakers.
After Draymond Green's dunk, LA called a timeout. Golden State tightened up its defense, making the Lakers look messy. Los Angeles had a few defensive breakdowns leading to dunks and layups for the Warriors.
The momentum favored Golden State, who made it a seven-point game. They had picked up the intensity, making the Lakers launch terrible 3-pointers. The game was getting spicy with scuffles and tension.
LA managed to show some life led by LeBron, who ended the third with a fastbreak layup, which extended Los Angeles’ lead to 11.
A LeBron fadeaway and a shot off the glass by Steph started things off in the final frame. Steph and Moody knocked down a 3-pointers, leading to a Lakers timeout. The lead of 11 was cut to six and nervous time was starting for Los Angeles.
Dorian drove to the basket for a finger roll layup to help keep the Lakers afloat as they tried to hold off the Warriors. Buddy’s big offensive night continued with a midrange shot banked off the glass.
