LeBron James Sets All-Time Points Record in Lakers' Loss to Steph Curry, Warriors

The Golden State Warriors snapped a two-game losing streak with a 117-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday at Chase Center to improve to 42-15 on the season.

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga helped give the Warriors the edge in a game that LeBron James set the all-time points record. It was an inspiring effort from James and the Lakers despite the loss. 

Saturday's win helped push the Warriors closer to the first-place Phoenix Suns, who are gunning for the top spot in the Western Conference for the second straight season. Had they lost, the Dubs would have fallen further away from the No. 1 seed.

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Notable Stats

Klay Thompson, SG, GSW: 33 PTS, 5 REB

LeBron James, SF, LAL: 26 PTS, 14 REB, 8 AST

Stephen Curry, PG, GSW: 24 PTS, 5 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL

Russell Westbrook, PG, LAL: 19 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL

Jonathan Kuminga, PF, GSW: 18 PTS, 9 REB, 1 BLK

Anthony Davis, PF, LAL: 16 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 3 BLK

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Rookie Jonathan Kuminga Catching Fire

Kuminga, the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, is heating up at the perfect time for the Warriors. 

During Saturday's game against the Lakers, the ESPN broadcast crew couldn't stop talking about the 19-year-old, who finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and one block on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor. 

Kuminga entered Saturday's game averaging just 7.6 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 49.4 percent from the floor and 31.7 percent from deep this season. However, he's been particularly effective over his last five games. 

The rookie is averaging 16.4 points in what has been his best stretch of the 2021-22 campaign. With the way he is playing, Kuminga deserves to remain in the starting lineup for as long as Draymond Green is sidelined. 

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has typically started Otto Porter Jr. in Green's absence, and he explained last month why he has decided to bring the rookie along slowly. 

"One of the reasons we brought him along slowly is he's got to learn those things before we can really trust him to play big minutes," Kerr said. "In my mind, it's a really organic, natural way to bring a young player along, rather than just hand him minutes. He's got to earn them by making the right plays."

But with the way Kuminga is playing, it certainly seems like he's learned a lot over the course of the season, and it would be hard for the Dubs to leave his level of skill and athleticism off the court. 

As Kuminga continues to see more time on the floor, more and more people are beginning to recognize that he has a very high ceiling. It's unclear what his role will look like when Green returns, but even if he's playing off the bench, that's still a plus for Golden State. 

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Lakers Make Inspiring Effort Despite Loss

The Lakers had a quiet trade deadline, failing to make any moves to help improve the roster. However, it certainly seems like the players might have finally bought in to the current lineup during Saturday's game against the Warriors

While James and Davis have consistently contributed this season despite injuries, Westbrook was one of the most impressive players on the court against Golden State. The veteran finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 35 minutes. It's arguably one of the few times he has looked comfortable alongside James and Davis.

After he was benched in an overtime win against the New York Knicks last week, Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka admitted he had a long discussion with Westbrook about ways he can improve. 

Among the things he told reporters, Pelinka said Westbrook needs to make "sacrifices in his game and how he plays," which would help the team moving forward. Based on his performance against the Warriors, it appears he's heard the message loud and clear. 

While it's clear the Lakers still have a long way to go, they showed many signs of improvement against the Warriors, and it was one of their more inspiring efforts of the 2021-22 campaign. 

If the Lakers put up similarly inspiring performances moving forward, and improve their defense, they should at least make the postseason. 

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What's Next?

The Warriors will travel to play the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, while the Lakers won't be in action again until Wednesday against the Utah Jazz.