Los Angeles — Klay Thompson scored 27 points, Stephen Curry 23 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 134-120 on Tuesday night thanks to Anthony Davis' injury. Wiggins scored 17 points for the 10th-place Warriors, who nailed 26 of 41 3-point tries, including 16 of 23 from Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green, who went 5 for 5 in the first half.
The Lakers allowed a game-high 26 3s from Golden State. After a decade coaching a scoring machine, Steve Kerr still admires his Big Three. “I didn't feel like we played that well, but we made a million 3s,” Kerr said. I didn't think we were sharp, but the ball went in. We had many possessions where we were fragmented yet the ball kept going in. Crazy to shoot 63% from 3.
The Warriors (44-35) are within a half-game of ninth-place Los Angeles (45-35) after winning eight of nine. Golden State also won the head-to-head tiebreaker, giving them home-court advantage for a possible 9-10 play-in game next week over their final three regular-season games.
After demonstrating their superiority, Green said the Warriors are “very confident” about their postseason chances. “We’ve kept that same sentiment all along, about what we think this team can do,” Green said. We've had several setbacks this year, but we think it's coming together now. We've always believed we can succeed if given the chance.”
Before losing back-to-back home games in three days, the Lakers had won eight of nine with LeBron James scoring 33 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds. Austin Reaves scored 22, Rui Hachimura 20, and D'Angelo Russell scored 14 on 3-of-11 shooting.
“We know we’re as good as any team in the league when we’re whole — and when we’re not, we’re not,” James added. A player like AD not playing makes it impossible to make up. It's nearly impossible to replace his offensive and defensive contributions to our team. Davis missed after being smacked in the head by Minnesota's Kyle Anderson in the Lakers' loss to the Timberwolves on Sunday. Golden State's Trayce Jackson-Davis hit Davis' left eye last month.
Los Angeles couldn't defend the Warriors without their All-Star big man and missed the chance to move into eighth place beyond struggling Sacramento (45-34), which fell to Oklahoma City after a large second-half lead. It's different with AD, Green said. He may hide many blunders. They look different while he's out.”
Davis arrived at the Lakers' downtown arena Tuesday, but coach Darvin Ham said he “couldn't overcome the headaches and nausea” from the blow. For the first time in five years, Davis missed a crucial game after avoiding major ailments all season, Ham said. He isn't in the concussion protocol.
Other than two losses in which Davis played only the first quarter due to head injuries, Los Angeles went 2-4 without Davis this season. James arrived little over an hour before tipoff against the Warriors after missing the Wolves loss due to the sickness. James dressed despite not working out.
Without Davis in the center, the Warriors played freely, and Green unexpectedly tied his career record for most 3-pointers in a half by matching his previous nine-game total. The Warriors made 12 of 17 3-point tries and 20 of 32 in the opening three quarters. After resting, Curry scored six 3-pointers without a miss, eight assists, and seven rebounds. Ham: “They were blazing hot—blazing, blazing hot. However, we have no time to lament. We must pull ourselves together, rethink, review the tape, and maximize these remaining two games.”
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