To snap a season-high four-game losing streak, the Golden State Warriors recorded one of their top performances of the season in an upset win over the Utah Jazz. After recording an impressive effort against the Jazz, the Warriors came out flat against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second leg of a back-to-back at Chase Center.
With little rhythm on offense paired with an off night on defense, the Lakers cruised past the Warriors in a dominant 128-97 victory in San Francisco.
Steph Curry tallied a team-high 27 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field with three boards, three steals and two assists in 36 minutes. However, it was not enough to slow down the defending champions.
While LeBron James notched a triple-double with 22 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, Montrezl Harrell led the Lakers off the bench with 27 points on 11-of-14 from the floor.
Following their ugly loss to the Lakers, the Warriors will leave Chase Center for a three-game away swing. Before the Warriors head on the road, here are three things to know from the Golden State Warriors’ 128-97 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.
Points in the paint
Despite starting center Marc Gasol sidelined due to health and safety protocols, the Lakers punished the Warriors inside the pain on Monday night. With Montrezl Harrell dominating the frontcourt, the Lakers recorded a whopping 68 points in the paint to only 40 from Golden State.
Along with scoring inside, the Lakers cleaned up on the glass, outrebounding the Warriors by 18.
While the Lakers thrived inside, Golden State’s frontcourt struggled. Kevon Looney failed to score a bucket and only recorded one rebound in 12 minutes. Although James Wiseman was able to score seven points and grab eight boards, the rookie big fouled out of the contest in 28 minutes.
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Youth movement off the bench
As the Warriors try to find a consistent rotation with the second unit, Steve Kerr opted for a youth movement off the bench against the Lakers. Rookies James Wiseman and Nico Mannion paired with sophomores Jordan Poole and Eric Paschall to lead the Warriors in minutes off the bench against the Lakers.
Poole continued his impressive play since leaving the G League bubble, scoring in double figures again off the bench with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field in 21 minutes. Mannion also tallied double figures in scoring, recording 10 points in 19 minutes behind Steph Curry.
Rewriting the record books
With a simple dime to Kelly Oubre Jr. in the third quarter, Steph Curry added another Golden State Warriors record to his resume. Following the pass to Oubre Jr., Curry became the Golden State Warriors’ new all-time franchise leader in assists.
The seven-time All-Star passed Guy Rodgers with 4855 assists. Prior to Curry inking his name at the top of the leaderboard, Rodgers carried the title of assist leader for 55 years.
Curry is also the franchise leader in 3-pointers made and free-throw percentage.
HISTORY.
Congratulations to @StephenCurry30 on passing Guy Rodgers as the Warriors' all-time assists leader! pic.twitter.com/doaqKrw1td
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 16, 2021