The Los Angeles Lakers bounced back from a disappointing Day 1 in the second annual California Classic against the Golden State Warriors, 100-90.
It did not take long for the Warriors to find their rhythm on offense due to a hot start from Malachi Richardson. The former No. 22 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft hit a couple of early three-pointers to help give them a double-digit lead midway through the first quarter.
The Lakers were finally able to respond thanks to the efforts of Zach Norvell Jr. once again. The former Gonzaga guard almost singlehandedly managed to alleviate the hot start from Golden State by hitting all three of his shots for eight points to bring his team within one at the end of the opening period.
Both teams started the second quarter by trading buckets and changing leads. Los Angeles managed to gain some separation with a 10-0 run on the back of their stingy defense that forced Golden State to commit 13 turnovers in the first half.
Marcus Allen provided a much-needed spark off the bench with his energy and the team eventually started to reap the benefits after their hounding defense led to some easy buckets in transition. Devontae Cacok was also among the beneficiaries as he tacked on eight points, six rebounds, and three steals in only nine minutes to give the Lakers a 48-40 lead at the break.
Los Angeles picked up right where they left off thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Norvell and Joe Young to start the second half. Golden State finally made a much more concerted effort on both sides of the floor to quickly cut the deficit back to single digits midway through the third quarter.
The Warriors were able to capitalize off the Lakers’ carelessness with the basketball coming out of the break and it was not long before they managed to swing the momentum back into their favor. Fortunately, they were not immune to their own mistakes as Los Angeles scored 32 points off 19 total turnovers to regain a 76-64 lead going into the final period.
Allen was once again able to make his presence felt by putting an end to Golden State’s 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter with a couple of buckets in transition that was followed by some stifling defense on a frustrated Jimmer Fredette. Meanwhile, Cacok was finally able to get his double-double midway through the final period to help the Lakers regain their double-digit lead.
