Steph Curry’s Brilliance Leads Warriors to Preseason Win Over Lakers

Golden State visited San Diego for a rematch against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Draymond Green returned to his rightful place in the starting lineup and hit the Warriors first three-pointer to open the scoring. This game served as a dress rehearsal for Golden State in preparation for the regular season. The main goal was to play the starters together for a longer period of time than in previous games. Warriors jumped out to an early 8-0 lead forcing a quick timeout by the Lakers. The ball movement was again impressive, the Warriors constantly creating great shots through their passing. Four of the five starters had an assist six minutes into the game. Klay Thompson wasn't shooting the ball early but he was assisting. Thompson and Pachulia both had 3 assists before they took a rest in the first. Kevin Looney picked up where he left off last game looking confident adding 10 points. Familiar territory for the Warriors with a 33-20 lead. 

It was a slow start to the 2nd for both teams. Only two points scored by the Lakers 3 minutes into the quarter. The Lakers went to work and didn't miss on their open looks. They pulled to within 5 of the Warriors thanks to a Nick Young three-pointer. The Warriors also experimented with their lineup leaving Patrick McCaw in with the starters. Golden State was guilty of forcing passes on a few occasions leading to unnecessary turnovers. This allowed the Lakers to keep the game within their grasp. After hitting their first 3 three pointers the Warriors went 1-14 to close out the first half. Contributions from all around the Lakers roster helped to trim the Warrior lead to 9 at the half. The Warriors were up 52-43. 

The fast pace and aggressive defense continued, the Warriors forced several early turnovers leading to open three’s and breakaway layups. The lead quickly grew to 18 points for Golden State. Steph Curry was very active driving to the hoop and beating Timofey Mozgov’s block. Mozgov would exact revenge stuffing a Durant slam dunk attempt minutes later. Nick Young looked great for the Lakers contributing 13 points with 4 minutes left in the third. The Warriors starters played the majority of the third period contributing 71 of the Warriors 87 points. Only two bench players had scored for the Warriors; Ian Clark and Kevon Looney. Warriors end the 3rd ahead 87-77.

Nick Young continued his strong play shooting 5-10 from three-point land getting the Lakers within 8 points early in the 4th. Warriors answered with a 7-0 run orchestrated by McGee and the three point brilliance of Klay Thompson. Following the pre-game plan, Steve Kerr inserted the Warriors starters with under 5 minutes left in the game. From there it was the Steph Curry show, hitting multiple three’s to electrify the crowd. Warriors take care of business and defeat the Lakers 123-112. Curry finishes as the top scorer with 32 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. There is one game left before the regular season. Listen to the final pre-season game as the Warriors face the Trailblazers at Oracle on Friday, pregame begins at 7.