Klay Thompson led the charge for the Golden State Warriors with 27 points, backed by Stephen Curry’s 23-point contribution, resulting in a 134-120 victory against Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Andrew Wiggins added 17 points for the Warriors, who made an impressive 26 out of 41 attempts from beyond the arc. The trio of Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green combined for 16 of these 3-pointers, with Green achieving a perfect 5 for 5 in the first half alone.
The Lakers found themselves unable to contain the Warriors’ sharpshooting, as Golden State’s 26 3-pointers marked a record high allowed by the Lakers in a single game.
With this win, the Warriors (44-35) have clinched eight victories out of nine games towards the end of the season, narrowing the gap to just a half-game behind the ninth-place Lakers (45-35). Furthermore, Golden State secured the head-to-head tiebreaker, potentially granting them homecourt advantage for a potential 9-10 play-in game next week.
Despite a valiant effort from LeBron James, who tallied 33 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds, and contributions from Austin Reaves (22 points) and Rui Hachimura (20 points), the Lakers suffered consecutive home losses after winning eight of nine games prior. D’Angelo Russell struggled, managing only 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting.
The absence of Anthony Davis, sidelined due to the aftereffects of a head injury sustained in a prior game, further hindered the Lakers’ efforts. Davis had previously suffered a similar injury from a collision with Golden State’s Trayce Jackson-Davis last month.