SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry recorded the 65th 40-point game of his NBA career, including a clutch go-ahead shot late in the second overtime, before LeBron James made two free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining and lifted the Los Angeles Lakers to a 145-144 win over the Warriors on Saturday night at Chase Center.
Curry set a season high with 46 points, including nine 3-pointers, and added seven assists. Klay Thompson scored 24, while Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins had 22 points apiece.
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The Warriors' star point guard was a beast all night, scoring 10 points in the second overtime and shooting 17 of 35 on the night. Curry was in line to be the hero of the game until James was fouled by Draymond Green while driving toward the basket in the final moments. James sank both ensuing free throws to win it.
Golden State appeared ready to win but blew a nine-point lead late in regulation.
The Warriors showed plenty of grit for most of the night after coach Steve Kerr again altered his rotations, moving Green back into the starting lineup for the first time since he returned from a second NBA suspension.
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It still wasn’t enough.
The Lakers (24-23) out-hustled and out-muscled the Warriors (19-24) most of the night, but they couldn’t comfortably pull ahead.
Thompson — who missed 10 of his first 15 3-point tries, including one in the first overtime — forced the second OT when he drilled a deep jumper with 5.9 seconds remaining.
Here are the takeaways from Saturday’s loss:
Draymond back with starters
Green was part of yet another new starting lineup for the Warriors, joining Curry, Thompson, Kuminga and Wiggins.
Green, who had come off the bench since his return from suspension, spent the majority of the night paired up against Anthony Davis. The Lakers big man had an obvious size advantage but didn’t get many easy looks.
And although Green wasn’t Golden State’s primary play-maker, the offense appeared to run more smoothly when he was on the floor. Despite a botched bounce pass to Wiggins that went out of bounds for a third-quarter turnover, Green had 11 assists to go with 14 rebounds. He also drew a critical offensive foul from Davis late in the fourth quarter.
Klay struggles with shot again
Thompson’s shooting has been up and down for most of the season, and it clearly was off again early against the Lakers before the sharpshooter caught fire in the second half.
Thompson missed nine of his first 11 shots and was a minus-17 in the first half. He recovered to put up 12 points in the third quarter, then scored four in the fourth. He ended the night shooting 9 of 24 from the field and 6 of 17 on 3-pointers.
Thompson, who moved past Hall of Famer Nate Thurmond for the fifth-most games played in a Warriors uniform (758), would never admit it, but it seems clear his multiple surgeries have lessened his ability to get elevated on his jumpers.
Wiggins gets it going
Wiggins’ season has been marked by his inconsistencies on both ends, but against the Lakers, the small forward enjoyed one of his most efficient nights of the 2023-24 NBA season.
He played more than 41 minutes, shot 8 of 12 from the field and grabbed five rebounds before fouling out.
Wiggins also made two big defensive plays in the second half. He came from behind and blocked a shot attempt by James, then poked the ball away from the Lakers for a key turnover late in the fourth quarter.
Golden State needs more of this from Wiggins, who might be one of the players discussed in trade talks as the Feb. 8 deadline approaches.
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