After a nip-and-tuck affair throughout the first three quarters, the Los Angeles Lakers leaned on a late-game offensive surge to close out a 105-99 victory against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
Both teams were hobbled entering the game, resulting in a superstar-deprived faceoff between two of the NBA’s glamor franchises. The Warriors were missing the services of Stephen Curry and newcomer Kristaps Porzingis, while the Purple and Gold were without Luka Doncic and Deandre Ayton.
“We got some timely stops… we know we gotta play hard. They shoot a lot of threes and crash the glass, but we did a good job in the fourth quarter,” said LeBron James, who led the Lakers with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists but had 7 turnovers.
Luke Kennard Makes Good First Impression
The match also marked Luke Kennard’s first game wearing purple and gold, after being recently acquired ahead of the trade deadline in exchange for Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick.
In his debut, Kennard dialed in 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists off the bench, including a key three-pointer in the final quarter that extended the Lakers’ lead to four.
“He played great… he was able to get to the paint, his sprays out to guys for open looks—I thought it was great. Solid guy, and we’re happy to have him,” James said of Kennard.
Warriors Role Players Step Up
In the midst of Curry’s absence, along with Jimmy Butler being sidelined for the rest of the season, a group of unlikely players still managed to keep the Warriors in the fight.
Role player Moses Moody led Golden State’s offense, notching 25 points, while Pat Spencer, who recently had his two-way deal converted to a standard contract, contributed 14 points and 7 assists.
The Warriors will have a chance to return to the win column when they face the struggling Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, while the Lakers will take on the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, on the same day.
