Golden State Warriors Get 116-75 Preseason Win Over Los Angeles Lakers
The Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-75 on Sunday night at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA.
Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Stephen Curry was able to finish the night leading all scorers with 25 points, which started with the sharpshooter scoring ten straight in the opening minute of the game.
Other than his early four-point play, Curry hit another highlight reel shot in the third quarter being guarded by Kobe Bryant: while playing intense on-ball defense, Bryant was the recipient of an unexpected 28-foot jumper from Curry.
Bryant acknowledged Curry for the play on the way down the court, smiling the entire time.
In 24 minutes played, Curry had an efficient night, tallying six rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block on 8-for-11 shooting from the field and 4-for-7 shooting from behind the arc. He also went 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
Right behind Curry was backcourt mate Klay Thompson, who dropped in 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting. Once again, Thompson looked very comfortable against his hometown team, hitting shots from everywhere on the court and defending Bryant fairly well.
Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Power forward David Lee was right behind the Splash Brothers, tallying 14 points, three rebounds and six assists.
Lee played rather well defensively, rotating quickly to the ball to contest every shot. He seems like a perfect fit in head coach Steve Kerr‘s offense, which makes great use of the big man’s abilities as a facilitator.
Leading the bench was Marreese Speights, who had 11 points and three rebounds on 4-for-5 shooting in 14 minutes. He looked confident as he played both ends well, even hitting a buzzer-beating three from the corner to end the third quarter.
Andre Iguodala, who was relegated to the bench after suffering a broken nose last game against the Lakers, had four points, two rebounds and a game-high eight assists.
No further injuries for the wingman this game, but he did notably have a shoe thrown at him.
Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Kerr reportedly said that he may use Iguodala in a playmaking role off the bench early in the season with Shaun Livingston still recovering from an offseason toe surgery.
Kerr also said that he plans to ease Livingston back in the swing of things, keeping him out a couple weeks during the start of the regular season.
With Sunday’s win, the Warriors end up sweeping the Lakers in their two-game preseason series.
Golden State now sets their sights for next Thursday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, which will tip-off at 5 p.m. PST at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA.