San Francisco – The Warriors continue to struggle against strong opponents, facing challenges in maintaining leads and dominating both from beyond the arc and in the paint. Late in the game, Stephen Curry went cold in the second half—a rare occurrence—as the Lakers defeated Golden State 118-108.
The Warriors opened with strong energy, hustling for offensive rebounds and keeping the game close early. Gary Payton II knocked down two 3-pointers, with Stephen Curry adding two of his own to lead the Warriors in the first quarter. Curry also hit a layup to give Golden State an 18-16 lead. Despite some missed 3s, the Warriors stayed within striking distance, trailing 20-23. Dennis Schroder’s fast-break layup extended the Lakers’ lead, and a Quentin Post block set up another Schroder 3-pointer. Golden State committed only three turnovers compared to the Lakers’ six, and the quarter ended with the Warriors narrowly behind, 26-27.
“I thought our defense in the first half was actually really good,” said Laker head coach JJ Redick. “Where they hurt us in the first half, particularly the first quarter, it was our turnovers and the offensive glass. Five turnovers in the first quarter, six offensive rebounds, four the rest of the way, seven turnovers the rest of the way, we did a better job at that. It was transition opportunities they had 17 transition opportunities in the first half. I thought we did a better job at just setting our defense, our physicality, communication was great all night.”
In the second quarter, Payton II converted an easy layup to tie the game at 34-34. Schroder continued his hot hand, hitting his second 3-pointer of the period. Gui Santos answered back with a 3-pointer, tying the game again at 42-42. Brandin Podziemski made a layup and followed it with a clutch 3-pointer to chip away at the Lakers’ largest lead of the night, which had grown to six points. Moses Moody ended the half with a big 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to just one, as the Warriors trailed 58-59 at halftime.
Key Stats at the Half:
- Warriors: Stephen Curry led the team with 13 points, followed by Andrew Wiggins with 11.
- Lakers: Anthony Davis led all scorers with 18 points, and Dennis Schroder added 10.
- Turnovers: Warriors had 5 turnovers, while the Lakers had 8.
Andrew Wiggins led the team with a game-high 20 points. Gary Payton II posted a season-high 12 points (previously 11 on 12/3 at Denver) and made a season-high two 3-pointers (previously one, accomplished eight times). Brandin Podziemski added 17 points, marking his second consecutive game scoring in double figures and the 15th time this season. He also tied his season-high with three 3-pointers (first set on 10/29 vs. New Orleans).
Golden State dropped to 12-12 at home this season and now trails the Lakers 0-2 in the season series. The Warriors have lost four of their last five matchups against the Lakers at Chase Center. The two teams will face off again on February 6 in Los Angeles, the third of their four scheduled meetings this season.
The Warriors fell to 1-20 in games where they were trailing or tied entering the fourth quarter. Notably, this was Golden State’s first game of the season without recording a blocked shot (previous season low: two blocks, achieved three times). Stephen Curry went scoreless in the second half, a rare and uncharacteristic performance.
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