In a boiling Chase Center which at times let the “Let’s Go Lakers” escape, the Warriors had to whip to avoid a third straight defeat. Jonathan Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry came to support Klay Thompson.
The Lakers were not so lucky, but Frank Vogel can still be satisfied with his team’s game. The Lakers delivered their best half in a long time after the break, thanks to fine contributions from Russell Westbrook, Austin Reaves, Malik Monk and of course LeBron James.
The start of the match, however, leaves us unsatisfied. The Lakers start 4-for-14 on shots and miss 6 of their first 10 free throws, allowing the Warriors, led by the Curry-Wiggins-Kuminga trio, to take the lead, but their lack of discipline keeps Los Angeles in ambush ( 26-24). The “Splash Brothers” and the defense of Golden State then launch a 15-2 which puts the Lakers at -15 (41-26). Los Angeles is recovering, however. The address of Talen Horton-Tucker, the awakening of Anthony Davis, and the aggressiveness of LeBron James allow the Lakers to score on 10 possessions in a row to end the half on the heels of the Warriors (65-62).
LeBron James begins the second half with an impressive distribution of caviars but 6 straight points from Andrew Wiggins keep the Warriors in front (85-76). The Lakers respond, however, with a 12-2 to take the lead for the first time since the first quarter thanks to the aggressiveness of the duo Malik Monk – Russell Westbrook. Austin Reaves confirms the good passage of his team by bringing an overflowing energy coming off the bench. He takes rebounds, will counter a drive from Klay Thompson against the board, and LA takes a six-point lead (101-95).
It takes five straight points from Klay Thompson, wound like a pendulum, to see the Warriors break the momentum of their opponent (103-103). While Austin Reaves gives the Lakers a six-point lead, Klay Thompson responds by scoring three 3-pointers in a row to put the Warriors in front with one minute to play (117-114). With 7 seconds to play, Stephen Curry then fouls LeBron James who begins his shooting gesture behind the 3-point line, but the latter misses the first free throw. The Warriors were hot!
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The mystery of the Lakers placed attack. Ninth in the West, the Lakers started the game inside. The ball is often walked up, systems start late on the 24-second clock, player and ball movement is limited, and possessions often end in a forced one-on-one. In this slump, however, there are flashes that show the potential of his team. These passages often start from reading the game of LeBron James. Whether it’s through his aggressiveness towards the circle or through laser passes, he allows the Lakers to look for the gaps, with Russell Westbrook and Talen Horton-Tucker capable of attacking the “close outs”. This night, the address from afar was there, as she has often fled the Lakers this season.
– Jonathan Kuminga bursts the screen. New holder at position 4, he started the meeting on LeBron James and the rookie answered present. He accepted the defensive challenge by challenging many of the Lakers star’s one-on-one layups, but he was also invaluable in assists and rebounds. On the other side, he continued to take advantage of his physical advantages to attack the circle of the Lakers relentlessly but with a certain accuracy. He alternated drives and cuts to complete several quality possessions. The more games follow, the more the Warriors winger gains confidence and experience to erase the errors that limited his playing time during the first months of the season.
– Captain Klay to the rescue. With the momentum on the side of Austin Reaves and the Lakers in the last quarter, Klay Thompson, whose father Mychal played for the Lakers, took the game on his own to wake up his team. Countered by Reaves, he went into gladiator mode to bring the Warriors back and put them in front. He scored 16 of his team’s 22 points in the final quarter on 60% shooting, including 3 game-winning shots in the final four minutes. Without his skill and intensity, the Warriors were heading straight for a third straight loss.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Klay Thompson. The “Splash Brother” scored 16 of his 33 points in the final quarter to help the Warriors avoid a third straight loss. This is the first time since Game 6 of the 2019 Finals that he has scored more than 30 points.
✅ LeBron James. The King was once again omnipresent last night, putting his mark on the game and finishing just short of a triple double (26 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists), a historic record, but he was clumsy (9/27) and folded on the free throw line to send both teams into overtime.
✅ The Lakers bench. The trio Talen Horton-Tucker (17 points, 7 rebounds) – Austin Reaves (13 points) – Malik Monk (12 points) was decisive in allowing the Lakers to push the Warriors to their last entrenchment. If Horton-Tucker and Monk did the job in attack, Austin Reaves turned into Alex Caruso, multiplying the brilliant actions on both sides of the field, especially in the last quarter.
✅ Jonathan Kuminga. The rookie scored ten or more points for the sixth straight time, finishing with 18 points and 9 rebounds. He continues to carve out a role for himself in Steve Kerr’s rotation.
⛔ Anthony Davis. The Lakers pivot was useful in protecting the circle (3 blocks) but he was timid offensively. He never set the sights and finished with 16 points on 5 of 13 on shots.
⛔ Stephen Curry. The two-time MVP was awkward again, finishing the game with 24 points at 1/8 three-point range. It was he who fouls LeBron James in the final seconds to give the Lakers a final chance to send the game into overtime. He still delivered 8 assists.
⛔ The Warriors bench. The Golden State substitutes scored just 20 points and were outplayed by the Lakers bench in both impact and engagement.
MATCH ACTION
With just under seven minutes left in the third quarter and thanks to a 45-degree 3-pointer, LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, regular season and playoffs included. KAJ had scored 44,149 points, and James is now first with 44,157. It will be necessary to wait until next season, if the King remains healthy, to see him pass the Lakers pivot in the ranking of the all-time leading scorers. regular season.
THE FOLLOWING
Golden State (42-15) : the Warriors travel to Los Angeles on Monday to face the Clippers
Los Angeles (26-31) : the Lakers benefit from several days of rest before receiving the Jazz on Wednesday
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