The Los Angeles Lakers snapped a three-game losing streak on Thursday night, defeating the Golden State Warriors 119-103 at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Only one marquee name suited up as injuries sidelined Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porziņģis. LeBron James, the lone remaining star, set the tone early with four quick points, while Deandre Ayton added five to build a 13-6 cushion. Despite giving up several offensive rebounds, Los Angeles finished the first quarter ahead 28-23, thanks in part to two James breakaway dunks.
Golden State opened the second period with a 9-0 surge fueled by Laker turnovers, forcing head coach JJ Redick to burn a timeout. James halted the run with a three-pointer, and Rui Hachimura caught fire from beyond the arc during a 13-4 response that restored the lead. Ayton’s interior dominance helped the visitors enter halftime up 53-49, though the Warriors trimmed the margin with a buzzer-beater.
The Lakers forced consecutive turnovers to begin the third quarter, turning them into five quick points and prompting another Warriors timeout. Golden State’s undersized lineup continued to struggle with Ayton, and Los Angeles pushed the advantage into double digits. James briefly exited after banging his hand on the backboard during a chasedown block but returned to find Bronny James for a corner three. The Lakers led 82-73 heading into the final period.
Los Angeles opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 spurt and never looked back. Another James steal and slam put the game out of reach as the Lakers controlled the closing minutes to seal the 16-point win.
Up Next
The Lakers head home to close the regular season, facing the Phoenix Suns on Friday in the second night of a back-to-back before hosting the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
Source: LakersNation.com
