In their first action since All-Star Weekend, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to pick up where they left off as they blew out the Golden State Warriors 124-111.
Malik Beasley got off to a quick start as he scored eight of the first 10 points for the Lakers, including a pair of 3-pointers. Golden State was able to take advantage of some poor Los Angeles defense for easy baskets, but the Lakers still held onto a 17-13 lead early.
Turnovers were a problem for L.A. as they committed five of them, but their defense finally tightened up thanks to Anthony Davis who erased shots in the painted area. The Lakers experienced an offensive lull, but LeBron James was able to cap off a 7-0 run at the end of the quarter to give the team a 31-23 lead.
James kicked off the second with an exciting lob from Dennis Schroder, while Austin Reaves got all the way to the cup and converted a tough layup. Defensively the Lakers were able to hold the Warriors scoreless for over two minutes before allowing an and-one to Jonathan Kuminga.
Davis began to assert himself on both ends of the floor, grabbing rebounds, attacking the basket and setting up his teammates to push their lead to 13. However, Jordan Poole caught fire in the final minutes of the period and L.A. would only lead 59-56 at halftime.
D’Angelo Russell was unfortunately ruled out for the second half of the game due to a right ankle sprain he sustained in the first quarter.
The Lakers were able to build a double-digit lead early in the third as they got multiple 3-pointers to go. Los Angeles continued to dominate points in transition, outracing Golden State and going up 79-63 in the process.
The purple and gold did well defending in the halfcourt, though they struggled to keep Kevon Looney away from the offensive glass. However, Reaves did an excellent job of scoring and playmaking to give the Lakers a 95-80 lead heading into the fourth.
James was able to push L.A.’s lead to 20 after finding Rui Hachimura on a cut in the paint and following it up with a layup. Steve Kerr decided to pull the plug early as he subbed in the end of his bench, though that didn’t stop the Lakers from building up their lead.
Darvin Ham quickly followed suit, emptying out his bench that was able to hold onto the lead and give the Lakers another much-needed win.
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