After clinching a playoff berth earlier in the evening, the Warriors held off the Lakers for a 108-105 home win on Monday.
GAME LEADERS
The Warriors came away with another home win on Monday night, defeating the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 108-105. Klay Thompson scored a game-high 26 points, his fifth consecutive game with at least 21 points and seventh-straight game with multiple three-pointers. Stephen Curry notched 19 points, nine assists and four rebounds, while Draymond Green filled the stat sheet with 16 points, eight rebounds and five steals. During the game, Oklahoma City lost in Dallas, thereby clinching the Warriors’ third-consecutive playoff berth.
It wasn’t their best performance, but it proved to be enough as the Dubs grinded out a nail-biter. Despite having the Lakers on the ropes several times throughout the contest, the Warriors failed to put it out of reach and required some timely defense and free throw shooting in order to come away with the victory. Golden State opened the game on a 5-0 run before Los Angeles responded with the next eight points, the first instance of the Warriors’ inability to take control of the game. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green got off to hot starts, combining to score 22 of the Warriors’ first 26 points, as the teams remained deadlocked at the end of the first quarter, tied at 30 apiece. The second quarter began quite similarly to the first frame, with the Warriors sprinting out to the first seven points. Los Angeles would continue to claw their way back into the game, until a Stephen Curry finger roll put the Warriors up 52-43 with 4:26 remaining in the half, equaling the Dubs’ largest lead of the entire contest. The Lakers would respond immediately with a 9-0 run over the next 2:09 to tie the game at 52. The Warriors would then go on to score the next six points and take a 58-52 lead into halftime.