After the Los Angeles Lakers lost by 29 to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, it seemed like there would be another blowout Sunday. The Lakers had different thoughts, and defeated the Golden State Warriors 112-95 on Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles to stun their divisional and regional foes.
Lakers Young Guns Too Much For Warriors
The big story coming into this game was the return to action of Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba missed Friday's game and played just 11 minutes the game before that in Denver. Kobe was able to suit up and start opposite Stephen Curry for the last time ever on Sunday, finishing with 12 points on 4-14 shooting; Bryant didn't get off the bench for the entire fourth quarter.
The bigger story of this game was the Lakers' 'Big Three'. Jordan Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle combined to score 58 points in this game. Clarkson returned after missing Friday's game against the Hawks with a knee injury he sustained in Denver, and did so in a big way. The second-year guard out of Mizzou had a game-high 25 points on 10-21 from the field, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, while Russell had 21 points on 6-14 shooting to go with five assists and four steals. Randle added another double-double to his season total, notching 12 points and 14 rebounds on 6-12 shooting from the field.
The Lakers bench played well yet again, combining for 40 points. With Lou Williams still out and rookie Anthony Brown out for four weeks with a stress reaction in his foot, Marcelo Huertas got big minutes once again. Huertas was electric off the bench, and contributed 10 points and nine dimes, while Brandon Bass and Nick Young each scored 13 points. Larry Nance Jr. added four points and two steals with another pair of highlight reel dunks, one on an alley-oop pass from Huertas.
The Lakers as a team shot 47 percent from the field, 95 percent from the free throw line, missing just one free throw all game, and 37 percent from three to blow by the defending-champion Warriors. The Lakers also forced 20 turnovers and had 12 steals with six blocks on the day.
Warriors Go Cold In Sunny Los Angeles
In what should have been an easy blowout for the first-place Warriors, their offense just fell flat on its face. For a team leading the NBA in field goals and threes, and one orchestrated by reigning MVP Stephen Curry, Sunday's events at the Staples Center were absolutely stunning.
Curry struggled from the field, as did just about every player wearing blue and yellow on Sunday afternoon. Curry finished with a team-high 18 points on just 6-20 from the field, including a dismal 1-10 from beyond the arc. Klay Thompson had 15 points on the afternoon, shooting at a 7-20 clip from the field and an 0-8 one from three-point land.
Draymond Green finished 2-9 from the field but was just shy of another triple-double, finishing with nine points, 10 boards and nine assists, but also accounting for seven turnovers. Andre Iguodala sat out for the second time in the past three games with more tightness in his left hamstring.
The Warriors starters outscored the bench just 51-44, but every Warrior player struggled from the three-point line, a part of the game that Golden State has excelled at over the past few seasons. Ian Clark made both of his three point attempts while the starters combined to shoot just 2-26 from beyond the arc. The Warriors as a team shot a season-low 4-30 from three, which is good for just a 13-percent success rate.
Golden State did outrebound the Lakers 49-41 and also had 32 assists to the Lakers 23, with Andrew Bogut adding seven assists and seven rebounds to help pad those numbers. The Warriors committed 20 turnovers and in turn were held to under 100 points for the first time since January 16, when they lost to the Detroit Pistons 113-95.
Lakers Make History
The Lakers made history on Sunday, and in a good way. The Lakers became the first team with a winning percentage below .200 to beat a team with a percentage above .900 for the first time ever in NBA history. In quite possibly the biggest regular season upset in NBA history, this game will be remembered forever, for more reasons than just Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry going toe to toe for the last time. The Warriors drop to 55-6, while the last-place Lakers move to 13-51, still good for the second-worst record in the league.
Next Up
The Warriors will head back to Oakland to take on the Orlando Magic at Oracle Arena tomorrow and try to forget this embarrassing loss, while the Lakers stay at home to battle the Magic on Tuesday night before welcoming LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to town for the last game ever between LeBron and Kobe on Thursday night.