On Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors upset the Los Angeles Lakers 128-121. Warriors star Steph Curry, who has missed the previous three games due to an ankle injury, is back in the starting lineup for the Western Conference matchup between the ninth and tenth seeds. The Dubs’ season record now stands at 35-31 after the win, and they are now tied for ninth place with the Lakers.
Every NBA season is different, but LeBron James and Steph Curry never fail to put on fantastic shows when they play each other. James had to shoulder more responsibility as Lakers star center Anthony Davis missed the first half due to an eye issue. For Los Angeles, James put forth the most effort, going 40 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, and 15 of 23 field goals in 37 minutes.
Not to be outdone by his elder colleague from Akron, Curry added a Warriors record-setting 31 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Curry had assistance in winning from Klay Thompson’s 26 points off the bench and Jonathan Kuminga’s 23 points. Despite his meager 6 point total, Draymond Green, a forward for the Warriors, was a chaos on the court with 12 rebounds and 13 assists.
Curry was held scoreless in the first quarter, despite having an outstanding final stat line. Thanks in large part to Steph’s troubles, the Lakers led for most of the first half but were unable to establish a commanding lead.
Kuminga made four jump shots in the first few minutes of the game, demonstrating his aggressiveness right away. In addition to being great spark plugs off the bench, Thompson and Trayce Jackson-Davis helped the Dubs maintain composure while they awaited Curry’s offensive explosions.
Once Steph got hot, the Warriors swiftly took control of the game and led for much the whole second half. In the last minutes of the fourth quarter, James was able to get within four points and keep the game tight. But a hilarious video review and a shot clock error meant that the last two minutes of regulation took more than twenty minutes in real time, destroying any momentum for either team.
