LeBron James Leads Lakers to Blowout Win over Stephen Curry, Warriors
The Los Angeles Lakers may be turning things around even without Anthony Davis.
Los Angeles defeated the Golden State Warriors 117-91 in Sunday's Western Conference showdown at Staples Center. LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma led the way for the victors, who improved to 24-11 overall with their second straight win following a four-game losing streak.
A solid showing from Stephen Curry was nowhere enough for the Warriors, who fell to 19-16 overall as their three-game winning streak came to an end.
Notable Player Stats
- LeBron James, F, LAL: 19 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK
- Kyle Kuzma, F, LAL: 12 PTS, 11 REB
- Markieff Morris, F, LAL: 13 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST
- Stephen Curry, G, GS: 16 PTS, 7 AST, 4 REB, 3 STL
Lakers Cruise in Easiest Win Since AD Went Out
There's no reason to truly doubt the Lakers in the regular season as long as they know LeBron and Davis will be healthy in the playoffs, but it was fair to at least raise some concerns during the four-game losing streak.
Not only did the Utah Jazz pull well ahead in the race for home-court advantage, but James was also playing heavy minutes to keep the team afloat without AD. Sunday was a chance to build on their latest win and prove the losing streak was just a blip on the radar and not a more troublesome sign.
L.A. wasted little time building while putting on an offensive clinic right out of the gates.
It poured in 41 points in the opening quarter with Marc Gasol and James hitting multiple threes each, Dennis Schroder slashing through the defense and drawing contact, and Kyle Kuzma providing a spark off the bench.
LeBron hitting from the outside makes him impossible to guard, and the game was essentially over as soon as the Purple and Gold quickly jumped out to a commanding lead. Schroder's presence on the defensive side was also key as the guards attempted to chase Curry off the ball, underscoring how much the team missed him when he was sidelined during the losing streak.
The Lakers didn't take their foot off the pedal and extended their advantage with Alex Caruso and Montrezl Harrell contributing off the bench and James drilling a deep three at the buzzer to end the half.
It was the type of dominant showing that has been missing for Los Angeles since Davis was sidelined and a solid reminder to the rest of the league how dangerous this team can be even when LeBron isn't putting up eye-popping numbers.
Stephen Curry's Solid Start Nowhere Near Enough for Overmatched Warriors
Curry already has two MVPs on his illustrious resume, but Sunday represented an opportunity to throw his name firmly in the discussion for a third.
After all, he entered play averaging 33.4 points, 6.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game in February while carrying a Warriors roster that is far from the ones that went to five straight NBA Finals. Golden State is in playoff position primarily because of the sharpshooter, and a nationally televised showdown with the defending champions was the perfect chance to remind everyone he is an MVP candidate.
Frankly, there was only so much Curry could do given how well the Lakers played.
He played the role of facilitator as Los Angeles ran double-teams his way, hit multiple threes while being fouled and prevented the visitors from being embarrassed even more as they were outscored 73-44 in the opening half.
Things got even more difficult when Draymond Green was ruled out with a left ankle sprain, putting even more of the onus on Curry.
It was clear by the middle of the third quarter that the game was over, and both teams went deep into their benches and rested their superstars. That meant No. 30 was unable to bolster his MVP chances even if he was the sole bright spot for the Warriors while the game was still somewhat hanging in the balance.
What's Next?
The Lakers host the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, while the Warriors travel to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
