Lakers Beat Warriors in Double OT Thriller

After making two 3-pointers late in regulation to go to 28 points, D’Angelo Russell made another long-range shot with 53 seconds remaining in the second overtime round.

James got his third triple-double of the year and 110th of his career with 12 points in the two overtime periods. Along with 13 rebounds, Davis scored 29 points.

LeBron James on facing Stephen Curry in a match:

“I’ll be able to discuss it with my grandchildren, discussing how I was able to compete against one of the best players to ever play the game.”

Golden State’s first double-OT game since a 143-141 victory against Atlanta on January 2, 2023, included two clutch 3-pointers by Klay Thompson: one late in the first extra session and the other late in the second. Thompson fouled out with 1:14 remaining in the game.

Following a near-injury scare in the third, Davis returned. With 29 seconds remaining in regulation, he converted two free throws; but, with 14.7 seconds remaining, he missed the first of two, putting Golden State behind 118-116. With less than six seconds remaining, Curry surged through the paint for the game-tying basket that forced overtime.

After the Lakers defeated the Warriors in a six-game Western Conference semifinal series last year, these star-studded teams squared off in another exciting match.

Curry scored 25 points or more in a game for the fifth time in a row. It was his second straight game with six or more three-pointers and his third in five. It was his 65th career 40-point game and his third this season.

Together, James and Davis shot 14 of 19 in the first half, 25 of 49 for the game, and helped the team to a 55-50 rebounding advantage.

The Warriors had a season-high point total and a season-high 23 3-pointers made. For the first time this season, Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green shared the floor for the opening tip as Golden State employed their fifteenth starting lineup.

Kuminga scored 22 points on a night when Thompson missed his first five 3-point attempts and was 1 for 10 before making two midway through the third quarter, capping off a career-high 31-point outburst on Thursday. Kuminga has put up a career-high 20 points or more in six straight games.

The Lakers lead 68-63 at the half after James scored the last seven points of the first half. Following the intermission, they started 1 of 7 before Russell’s 3 at 8:05.

The game was full of thrill with 16 lead changes the spectators were on the edge of their seats all the time and 16 time tied score.

Lakers were very accurate with their free throws which helped them close the game with the win, Lakers were 88.4 % from free throw line contrary to Warriors 68.8 %. Lakers outscored Warriors in fast break points with 31 points to 23 points from warriors

Steve Kerr on the differential in free throws tonight—the Warriors took 16 while the Lakers took 43 

“I might make a comment about the free throws they made, but I want to behave well because my mother is here right now”

After Golden State’s 134-133 loss to Sacramento on Thursday night in another 2023 playoff rematch, this was yet another wild game for the Warriors. The Warriors won Game 7 of their first-round showdown against the Kings.

In his 758th game overall, Thompson moved up to take sole possession of fifth place on the Warriors’ all-time leaderboard, surpassing the late Nate Thurmond.

Golden State appeared in an NBA-leading 32 clutch game

With two games remaining before February starts, the Lakers are at 7-6 on the month and aren’t experiencing the kind of big January they had hoped for. The Houston Rockets are their upcoming road opponent.

Although the victory was fantastic, Davis’s health is the most important thing. I hope it’s only a little groin injury. The Lakers’ already difficult task of winning consecutive games would be made more difficult by Davis’ absence from the team on this road trip.

Lebron moved 7th on the all-time GAMES PLAYED list https://x.com/NBA/status/1751428911974502566?s=20

On this road trip, many decisions will be made. The Lakers will continue to compete for spots in the Western Conference standings. Since the trade deadline is approaching, any action the team takes before February 8th will have to wait until after this run of away games.

Lakers are 24-23 in Western Conference Standings. They need to win  more games to secure a Playoff spot https://x.com/NBA/status/1751494553847185549?s=20

The Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks will host the Lakers in a back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday as they resume their road trip.