A familiar foe visited the Crypto.com arena on Thursday in an epic Western Conference showdown. It was the latest chapter of the ongoing LeBron James and Stephen Curry saga, which will go down in the books as another massive win for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Warriors looked outmatched from the very start, opening the game on a 34-21 deficit in the first quarter that they struggled to overcome. Eventually, hot shooting in the second half put the Warriors back in the game but it wasn’t enough to get the win and it was the Lakers who came out victorious (120-112) after a very dominant showing.
LeBron James had another historic performance tonight with 42 points, 17 rebounds, and 8 assists on 14-25 shooting. Without Luka in the lineup, Austin Reaves had to step up with 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists on 4-17 shooting. Off the bench, Gabe Vincent provided a crucial spark with 15 points and 1 assist on 5-8 shooting from three.
Stephen Curry had a great performance despite the loss, totaling 37 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists on 13-35 shooting. Buddy Hield dropped 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on 4-9 shooting from three. Finally, Moses Moody finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists on 4-10 shooting.
These two teams have ambitions to compete for a title this season but with the trade deadline come and gone, they are set on their current trajectory. In this game, while we didn’t get to see the new arrivals in action, we still learned some things about both teams that might give a hint about their performance for the rest of this season.
LeBron Outshined Steph
Despite being the last remnants of a dying generation of NBA players, LeBron James and Stephen Curry are still going strong and giving us classics like this after all these years. Curry, while he started slow, picked up the slack with 37 points.
Sadly for Steph, however, it wasn’t enough to upstage LeBron James, who not only had more points (42) but also shot with much better efficiency. With 17 rebounds and 8 assists, LeBron was leaving his mark all over the court and making his impact felt in multiple ways.
For Curry, his impact is more purely on the offensive, and when he’s not shooting lights out it can be hard for him to be as effective on the court. It made all the difference in this game and with even their superstar getting outplayed, the Warriors didn’t have a chance.
Warriors Need Shooting
The Lakers did not have a perfect trade deadline but the roster is still a work in progress after finalizing the Luka Doncic deal. In the case of the Warriors, however, Jimmy Butler did not fix one of their biggest problems: shooting.
Without Klay Thompson, the Dubs are struggling to keep up and we saw it tonight. As a team, the Warriors went 15-63 from beyond the arc, which is just 30.2% shooting. Without a proper frontcourt or even a reliable scorer on the wing, the Warriors just didn’t have enough to keep up with LeBron James.
For a team known for their shooting and scoring, the Warriors are lacking a lot of shooters and scorers, among other things. To make matters worse, they are still taking a lot of three-pointers, which means they are prone to nights like today when they practically shoot themselves out of the game.
Lakers Feasting At The Free-Throw Line
A common tactic for the LeBron-era Lakers is drawing fouls to get free points at the line. They rank 6th in the NBA in free-throws made and they pulled off another masterclass tonight.
The Lakers went 29-36 on free throws, outscoring the Warriors by 15 points in that category alone. Even without Anthony Davis, the Lakers not only managed to draw contact and get to the line, but they managed to avoid excessive fouls when guarding under the rim.
As it stands, the Lakers are the tougher, stronger, and more physical team right now, and with Butler still on his way, the Warriors just don’t have enough firepower on defense to keep the Lakers off the free-throw line.
As the NBA All-Star break approaches, things are sure to get interesting in the West. The Warriors and Lakers are in very different spots in the standings but their ambitions are the same and it will take everything for either one of them to make it past the younger elites.
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