The first time this season the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors faced off was an instant classic that went into double overtime. Thursday’s contest between two teams had a much different tone.
With LeBron James sitting out after getting treatment for an ankle ailment he has been dealing with for months, the Lakers were at a disadvantage against a surging Golden State team. It would take an all-hands-on-deck effort from them to have a chance of winning at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The opening minutes of the first quarter were fairly competitive, even though Stephen Curry was red-hot to begin the contest and the Lakers had some trouble finding the basket. They scored the first seven points of the second quarter, but Golden State responded with a late second-quarter run to take a 67-56 lead at halftime. It often went to a zone defense or box-and-one, and it stymied the Lakers, who weren’t able to get into the paint as easily as when they were going up against a man-to-man defense.
With L.A. also unable to hit from 3-point range, it trailed 98-82 after three quarters and ended up losing 128-110. The team had trouble defending the Warriors’ familiar pick-and-roll and dribble handoff actions, especially since it was in drop coverage for much of the night.
The Purple and Gold had won three in a row and 11 of their previous 16 games, but this loss has slowed their momentum. They have dropped to a 30-27 record and are ninth in the Western Conference, one-half game ahead of the Warriors.
They will return home to Crypto.com Arena to play Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.