NBA News Wire
Lakers 115, Warriors 105
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
LOS ANGELES — One of the worst clubs in the Western Conference beat the NBA team with the best record.
Despite playing without guard and leading scorer Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 115-105 on Tuesday night at Staples Center.
The Lakers (9-19), who trail only the Minnesota Timberwolves (5-22) for mediocrity in the West, snapped a three-game losing streak and defeated the Warriors for the first time in five meetings. Golden State (23-4), which beat the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, lost for only the second time in the past 20 games.
Forward Carlos Boozer led seven Los Angeles players in double figures with 18 points and nine rebounds. Point guard Ronnie Price finished with 17 points and eight assists, reserve guard Nick Young added 15 points, and forwards Ed Davis and Wesley Johnson had 14 points each.
Point guard Stephan Curry led the Warriors with 22 points and six assists, while shooting guard Klay Thompson finished with 18 points.
Bryant missed the game due to fatigue, but the Lakers didn’t miss a beat without him, building a double-digit lead in the first quarter and keeping Golden State at bay.
The Lakers led by as much as 17 in the first half before taking a 63-48 lead at the break. Price had just as many assists (seven) as the entire Warriors team. Overall, the Lakers finished the half with 19 assists.
The Warriors cut the deficit to 75-65 in the third after a trey by Thompson with 5:54 remaining in the period, but the Lakers closed with a 20-8 surge for a 95-73 advantage heading into the final quarter. Price sparked the run, scoring 11 points in the third, including three consecutive 3-pointers.
Golden State pulled within eight points late in the fourth quarter, but got no closer.
The Lakers became the first team to shoot over 50 percent against the Warriors this season. They also ended Golden State’s string of 27 consecutive games of holding opponents under 50 percent shooting, which was the longest streak in the league. The Lakers hit 51.7 percent of their shots compared to 46.4 percent for the Warriors.
NOTES: Lakers coach Byron Scott said he made the final decision to sit G Kobe Bryant after consulting with trainer Gary Vitti and GM Mitch Kupchak. Scott, though, admitted Bryant initially resisted before agreeing it was the right move. “He was OK with me making the decision,” Scott said of Bryant, who is expected to return Christmas Day when the Lakers visit the Chicago Bulls. Scott added that he would periodically give Bryant games off in the future. … Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the Warriors wouldn’t practice Wednesday, allowing them to spend more time with their families instead. The Warriors will be in Los Angeles until Thursday, when they play the Clippers at Staples Center in the nightcap of NBA Christmas games.
