All Lakers

Four Takeaways From The Lakers' 125-120 Win Over Golden State

The Lakers improved to 39-12 with their win over the Warriors on Saturday evening

Melissa Rohlin

Four Takeaways From The Lakers' 125-120 Win Over Golden State
Four Takeaways From The Lakers' 125-120 Win Over Golden State /

The Lakers, who have the best record in the Western Conference, nearly blew a 21-point lead against the Golden State Warriors, who have the worst record in the league, in their game at Chase Center on Saturday. 

The Warriors cut the Lakers' lead to five points, 116-111, after Eric Paschall made a dunk with 3 minutes and 13 seconds left. But the Lakers held on in the final minutes to win, 125-120. 

Here are our four takeaways from the game. 

1. Not The Lakers Greatest Win

A win is a win. But this win was less than memorable for the Lakers, considering the injury-depleted Warriors were playing without Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. 

The Lakers, who were coming off a loss against Houston on Thursday, let the Warriors back into the game late in the fourth quarter. 

But Anthony Davis scored five points in the final 2 minutes and 28 seconds and LeBron James made a three-pointer with 17.6 seconds left to help the Lakers win their 16th-straight road game against a Western Conference opponent. The Lakers improved to a record of 39-12, 22-5 on the road. 

2. Hello, Avery Bradley

Bradley had a strong performance, finishing with a season-high 21 points on seven-for-11 shooting, including making five of his seven three-point attempts. 

He gave the Lakers a big boost, especially considering he's averaging eight points on 33 percent shooting from beyond the three-point line this season.

James finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double with 22 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists. Davis had a team-high 27 points on nine-for-14 shooting and 10 rebounds.

Saturday was a reunion of sorts for a few Lakers players. Quinn Cook, JaVale McGee and DeMarcus Cousins were all on the Warriors' roster within the last three seasons. Curry, who wore a Kobe Bryant jersey Saturday, gave his former teammates a warm greeting, as can be seen in the video below. 

3. Andrew Wiggins Excelled In His Debut

The Warriors made moves ahead of Thursday's trade deadline, while the Lakers stood pat. One of those moves gave the Lakers some grief in Saturday's game. 

Wiggins, in his first game with the Warriors, had 24 points on eight-for-12 shooting, including making three of his four three-point attempts. He also had five steals. 

The Warriors acquired Wiggins from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for D'Angelo Russell, Jacob Evans III and Omari Spellman.

4. The Warriors Honored Kobe Bryant

The Warriors' honored Bryant in their first home game since he died in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others on Jan. 26.

The Warriors had 24 seconds of silence before the game began and nine beams of light illuminated the court, representing each of the victims of the crash. All of the fans at Chase Center received t-shirts with Bryant's jersey numbers, 8 and 24, and Gianna's jersey number, 2. 

"It's amazing the sense of loss even for those of us that didn't know him very well," Warriors' coach Steve Kerr told reporters. "Everything just feels hollow. We grieve for Kobe and Gianna and the other families all involved. It's something that's not going to get any easier right away.''

Published
Melissa Rohlin
MELISSA ROHLIN

Home/News