Kevin Durant, Warriors Beat Lakers 115-101 as LeBron James Rests Groin Injury
Klay Thompson scored 28 points and Kevin Durant added 21 points and 11 assists as the Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 115-101 on Saturday at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
Rajon Rondo contributed 12 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the 27-26 Lakers, who were without LeBron James due to "load management," per team reporter Mike Trudell.
James played 40 minutes on Thursday after sitting out 17 games with a groin strain. The Lakers have now gone 6-12 without James this season.
The 37-15 Warriors won their 12th game in 13 tries.
Klay Thompson Proves Why His All-Star Selection Was Correct
Warriors point guard Stephen Curry had an off night through three quarters, scoring just two points. Golden State wasn't getting it done on defense during that stretch either, as the Lakers scored 86 points even without James.
The Warriors led by two leading into the fourth, however, thanks largely to Thompson, who has been dominant of late.
The eight-year veteran scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting through three quarters. That was quite beneficial on a night where Curry, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins combined to shoot 12-of-35 from the field.
Thompson fought through a couple slumps this season, but those appear to be long gone alongside the Warriors' scuffling start. Leading into Saturday, the 28-year-old had averaged 23.9 points on 53.0 percent shooting in his last 14 games.
He also made 49.1 percent of his threes. Golden State lost just one game in that span—a 135-134 defeat to the Houston Rockets in which MVP candidate James Harden dropped a 44-point triple-double and hit the game-winning three with one second remaining.
Thompson sat out a Thursday loss to the Philadelphia 76ers with an illness, and the Warriors clearly felt his absence. Curry went 10-of-18 from three-point range, but the rest of the team went just 1-of-20. Yes, the Warriors have an embarrassment of riches, but Thompson is still one of the more valuable players currently leading the Western Conference.
And that in part makes his All-Star selection the right one. The competition in the Western Conference was particularly fierce this year, with a few players notably getting snubbed (e.g. Jazz center Rudy Gobert). But Thompson's ability to take over games and will his team to victory at times is a remarkable trait few players in the league possess.
It's not every day you see players go 17-of-20 from the field (as Thompson did versus the Lakers earlier in January) or score 52 points in 27 minutes (as he did versus the Chicago Bulls in November).
But most importantly, he can pick up the offensive slack if his teammates are having rare off nights. Thompson did that Saturday, and that trait makes him All-Star worthy.
What's Next?
Los Angeles continues its six-game road trip Tuesday against the Indiana Pacers. Golden State will stay at home to face the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
