Stephen Curry and the Warriors overcame a rough first half and a 19 point deficit, scoring 34 fourth quarter points to down Lebron James and the Lakers in a nail-biter in L.A., 115-113.
In the final game on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day, a night where Curry struggled shooting outside, no shot was bigger than his step-back three over two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team forward Anthony Davis with 1:07 left in the game. The shot gave the Warriors a 5 point lead, and secured the comeback win over the Los Angeles Lakers, who led by as many as 19 points.
The Lakers started hot, jumping out to a 23-10 lead behind Schroeder’s 14 first quarter points, and they didn’t look back, stretching their lead to 16 points at halftime.
The third quarter, however, is where everything changed. An incredible, 17-2 run fueled by Andrew Wiggin’s three straight 3-pointers pulled the Warriors within 2 points.
From there, the Laker’s bench, led by Kyle Kuzma (15pt, 10reb) and Montrezl Harrell (17pt, 8reb), kept the Warriors at arm’s length until the end of the third.
The Warriors saw second year man Eric Paschall and veteran Kelly Oubre Jr. post season highs in points with 19 and 23 respectively. Curry added 26 points and seven assists as Golden State chipped away at the reigning champ’s lead until it was just two points with 3:15 remaining. Oubre Jr. and veteran Draymond Green led a decisive sequence on both sides of the ball, putting up six straight points to give the Warriors their first lead of the game, and set up Curry for the final field goal of the night.
TNT’s Brian Anderson asked Curry about the team’s keys to success following the game.
“Tonight we just found a little resilience, our second unit was unbelievable.” Curry said. “Everybody chipped in, and we weathered the storm against an amazing, championship-caliber team, so it’s a big win for us.”
The win pushed Golden State back above .500, giving them a 7-6 record, good enough for 7th in the early standings in the West.
The Lakers stay on top of the Western Conference standings despite the loss, but lose their 5-game win streak in the process. Lebron and the Lakers now look to rebound against reigning MVP Giannis Antetokoumpo and the Bucks when they travel to Milwaukee on Thursday.
