A Golden State squad expected by most to steamroll the rest of the league entered Staples Center on Friday and was greeted by a team dressed like the Showtime Lakers.
The current edition of the purple and gold donned some throwback uniforms to honor the 30th anniversary of their 1986-87 championship team, and they played up to that standard by scorching the Warriors, 117-97.
Golden State’s Draymond Green texted Lakers head coach Luke Walton — a former Warriors assistant — before the game, saying he couldn’t sleep for his afternoon nap because he was too excited for what he was going to do to the Lakers.
But it was more like a recurring nightmare for Green and co., who had been upset by Los Angeles on March 6 when the Lakers dealt the Warriors one of only nine regular-season losses from last year.
“It’s our annual beatdown at Staples Center by the Lakers,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “They do this every year. Let’s just give them credit. They came in sky-high with a ton of energy, played really well and we were flat right from the beginning.”
Much of the Lakers’ energy was provided by Julius Randle, who piled up 20 points and 14 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.
Walton’s reasoning for Randle’s big night was simple.
“Because he’s a monster,” Walton said. “I mean he is. He’s as big, strong and quick as anyone in the league.”
Indeed, Randle held his own when matched up against Green, and the entire team competed defensively against a team that D’Angelo Russell said is “known for offensive perfection.”
And while four-time scoring champion and new Warrior Kevin Durant went off for a game-high 27 points, his fellow All-Stars — Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson — combined for only 39 points on 15-of-45 shooting.
Curry, in particular, had a rough night despite tallying eight rebounds and 11 assists, as he missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts, ending a streak of 196 regular-season and playoff games with at least one triple.
“Don’t let them miss — make them miss,” Russell said. “There’s a big difference. I think we bought into it and got it done.”
The Warriors — who entered averaging a league-high 115.4 points — are the second offensive juggernaut that the Lakers have outshot in this young season, as they also topped Houston on opening night, 120-114.
“The big picture is we make it really hard on teams (to) come into Staples Center and get wins,” Walton said. “And so far, we’ve had two home games against two really good teams and won them both.”
Tip-Off to Final Buzzer
The Lakers never trailed against their heralded opponents, rushing out to a 24-15 lead by the end of the first quarter.
But that was just a warmup for the monster second period.
Highlighted by Larry Nance Jr.’s ferocious tomahawk slam, the quarter saw the Lakers rack up 41 points in their first frame with at least 40 since March 25, 2014. L.A. couldn’t miss in the second, as eight different players scored and combined to shoot 16-of-25 to take a 65-49 lead into halftime.
“They were playing with house money,” Durant said. “They came out playing loose, playing the game, playing together, playing with energy, feeding off their crowd, and they hit us in the mouth.”
However, the Warriors (4-2) launched their biggest strike shortly after retaking the floor, as they went on a 16-2 run to trim Los Angeles’ edge to 77-70.
While Durant scored 14 points in that quarter alone, Russell helped to settle the game back down by providing 11 of his 17 points and making sure that the lead never dropped below six.
And then it was Lou Williams’ turn to ice the game.
He scored 10 points in the final quarter, bringing his total to 20, while the Lakers pushed their lead as high as 22.
While Golden State shot just 5-of-32 (15.6 percent) from 3-point range, the Lakers struggled nearly as much from deep, where they went 8-of-30.
However, the purple and gold managed to take advantage down low by winning the rebound battle 51-40, grabbing 16 offensive boards and scoring 64 points in the paint. For good measure, they also handed out 26 assists and shot 19-of-21 on free throws.
“They’re in there laughing, having fun, and that’s the way you should feel like when you put that much effort into something,” Walton said. “That’s why it’s so much fun at the end of the day — because it wasn’t easy and guys are dead-tired in there.”
Notes
In addition to his dunk, Nance provided 12 points and nine rebounds while shooting 6-of-6. … Thomas Robinson made his season debut for the Lakers. … A crowd of 18,997 sold out Staples Center.