The Lakers hung tight with the defending champs for the majority of three quarters, but then Golden State simply fed the ball to, by most accounts, the greatest player on the planet.
Reigning MVP Stephen Curry keyed a 13-2 Warriors run, which turned a 73-70 lead into a 14-point advantage for the home team.
Golden State led by as many as 20, while Curry poured in 26 points by hitting eight 3-pointers in his squad’s 116-98 win on Thursday night.
Initially, the Lakers refused to be buried by the NBA leaders, who led by only three at halftime.
Golden State shot just 34.8 percent (16-of-46) in the first half, but it erupted over the final two quarters for a 67.5 percent clip (27-of-40).
While D’Angelo Russell cited a “lack of energy” on the Lakers’ end, Larry Nance Jr. had another reason for the champs’ outburst.
“They started playing Warriors basketball,” Nance said. “Shooting 3’s, getting out on the break. It was something that we really got caught off guard by and couldn’t come back.”
Despite solid scoring from Jordan Clarkson (22 points, 10-of-17) and Lou Williams (21 points, 5-of-12), the Lakers were unable to keep up from behind the 3-point arc.
While the Warriors hit 13 triples, L.A. went just 4-of-24 from deep.
Julius Randle #GoLakers 4th Quarter on @NBAonTNT https://t.co/7uaFBB47Zf
Larry the Thief Though he collected only four points and five rebounds, Larry Nance Jr. made quite a few momentum-shifting plays on the defensive end.
The Akron native racked up six steals, which were the most by a rookie Laker since Eddie Jones matched that on Dec. 13, 1994. Further, his swipe total hasn’t been seen by a Lakers big man since Vlade Divac had six on Nov. 26, 1993.
A photo posted by Lakers Scene (@lakersscene) on Jan 14, 2016 at 8:50pm PST
Notes Williams shot 10-of-11 on free throws. … The game featured 14 lead changes. … A crowd of 19,596 sold out ORACLE Arena for Kobe Bryant’s final game in the Bay Area. He was honored with a pregame video from Warriors executive and Lakers legend Jerry West. Bryant had eight points (4-of-15) and six rebounds.
Kobe & Luke #KB20 pic.twitter.com/Yhe7xm7miq
