Anthony Davis, Lakers Rout Warriors with LeBron James out Injured

A close game at halftime turned into a blowout by the fourth quarter as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the host Golden State Warriors 116-86 on Thursday at Chase Center in San Francisco.

The Lakers trailed for most of the first quarter but crawled back and took a 54-52 halftime lead. L.A. then outscored Golden State 40-17 in the third to earn a 94-69 edge into the fourth.

Both teams were short-handed.

The Lakers were without LeBron James, who sat with a sore groin.

For Golden State, Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins was sidelined with an upper back injury. Draymond Green was ejected in the second quarter after receiving two technicals following arguments with officials.

Six Lakers scored in double digits, led by Anthony Davis' 23. L.A. shot 51.2 percent from the field.

Eric Paschall dropped 23 points off the bench to lead all Warriors scorers.

Notable Performances

Lakers F/C Anthony Davis: 23 PTS, 6 REB, 2 BLK, 2 STL

Lakers F Kyle Kuzma: 18 PTS, 3 AST, 3 REB

Lakers C Dwight Howard: 13 PTS, 9 REB, 2 BLK

Warriors F Eric Paschall: 23 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST

Warriors G Jordan Poole: 16 PTS, 8 AST, 1 REB

Warriors G Damion Lee: 15 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST

Lakers' Dominant Third Quarter Seals Win Early

L.A. entered the second half up two despite a lethargic 24 first-half minutes in which it played sloppy offensive basketball and allowed too many easy buckets on the other end.

But any doubt that the Lakers would win this game was quickly erased in the third quarter after they closed the frame on a 29-7 run.

Every Laker on the floor in the third contributed to the lightning-quick turn of events.

Of note, Avery Bradley got off to a hot start in the quarter, finding JaVale McGee for an alley-oop:

Bradley had five points, two assists and a rebound in the first four minutes of the third.

Backcourt mate Rajon Rondo, who was the team's floor general in lieu of the injured LeBron James, also got in on the act and found McGee open for an easy slam:

Rondo had eight points, four assists and two steals in the third.

The dunk party continued as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma authored powerful back-to-back slams, with the latter player withstanding a challenge from Juan Toscano-Anderson:

When the quarter was over, this was the result, per Lakers reporter Mike Trudell:

L.A.'s defense that struggled in the first half dominated the second, allowing just 17 points in the third and fourth quarters each. The Lakers had six more points in the third quarter than the Warriors had in the second half. 

L.A. ultimately emerged with the 30-point win, a 45-12 win-loss record and a 5.5-game lead over the Denver Nuggets for first in the Western Conference.

The Lakers will continue their road trip off the momentum of an excellent second half but perhaps without James, who was on the bench Thursday but is without a public timetable for a return at this time.

The four-time NBA MVP undoubtedly makes the Lakers one of the best teams in the NBA, but if the Lakers play like they did in the second half in James' absence, then they can stem the tide and maintain a healthy lead for first in the West until his return.

What's Next?

The Lakers will play the second matchup of a three-game road trip on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET against the Memphis Grizzlies in FedEx Forum.

The Warriors will hit the road to play the Phoenix Suns on Saturday at 9 p.m. in Talking Stick Resort Arena.