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Warriors Splash Their Way into Comeback Win Over Lakers

The Warriors were down by as much as 19 points in the first quarter and 17 in the third to the NBA’s defending Champions the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Dubs willed their way into a 115-113 victory on MLK Day.

It came down to the last second as the Warriors forced the Lakers to call a timeout with 1.7 seconds left in the game and the final possession. A play was drawn up for four-time league MVP LeBron James to get the ball at the top of the three-point arc. With Draymond Green covering him, James got the ball, turned to his right and put up the shot at the buzzer. The ball went up, hit iron, bounced off the board, and away from the bucket, finalizing the Warriors’ win.

TEAM LEADERS

Monday night’s victory was set up with clutch second half defense and a late splashfest that turned the tides of the game starting in the final 10 minutes of the third quarter. Andrew Wiggins got the party started with a steal on Los Angeles’ Marc Gasol and then converted a running pull-up three-pointer. That was the start to his hot hand as Wiggins would go on to splash his next two three-point attempts on back-to-back plays, bringing the Dubs to within nine points of the Lakers.

The Warriors cut into the deficit even more with a corner three-pointer from Kevon Looney followed by another splash from Stephen Curry to bring the game to a 70-67 Lakers lead midway through the third.

Try as Los Angeles might to shake the Dubs through the fourth, the squad remained within three possessions of the Lakers through the final nine minutes. After a series of splashes got the Warriors back into this game, it was layups that sealed it for the squad: Kelly Oubre Jr. tied the game at 108 all with 3:10 left, marking the first time the Warriors were not down the whole game. Green then came flying in for back-to-back layups to put the squad into the lead. Stephen Curry hit one last trey to cap off a 67-point second half for the Dubs.

While Oubre Jr. was among those to put the game away for the Warriors, it was his effort on both sides of the ball that resulted in contributions. His 23 points were second on the team to Curry’s 26, but Oubre Jr. led the team in scoring through the first half. His quick hands got the Warriors numerous extra possessions, including a fourth quarter steal off of Kyle Kuzma after rebounding a Dubs missed shot, which went to Eric Paschall for an easy two points at the bucket.

Eric Paschall’s energy was certainly felt through the Warriors’ comeback tonight as he dropped 19 points off the bench in 19 minutes while doing most of his work on reigning Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrel.

Following Monday’s win, the Warriors will come back home to the Bay Area and the friendly confines of Chase Center where they will tip off a two-game homestand. First up: a Wednesday night matchup against Western Conference rival San Antonio Spurs (7 p.m., NBCSBA).

More Notables ...

  • Golden State improved to 7-6 this season (.538) and 3-3 on the road… Golden State has overcome a double-digit deficit in all three road wins this season (10 at Chicago, 12 at Detroit and 19 tonight)
  • The Warriors overcame a 19-point deficit, taking their first lead of the game on a Draymond Green layup with 2:40 to play… It marked Golden State’s second-biggest comeback of the season, behind only a 22-point comeback on January 8 vs. the Clippers.
  • The Warriors moved to 3-0 in games decided by two points or fewer this season.
  • The Warriors appeared in their 20th Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the last 21 years (2012 was the exception)… The Warriors are now 19-10 (.655) on MLK Jr. Day since the holiday was first observed nationally in 1986.
  • Golden State dished out 31 assists, their third 30-assist game of the season (3-0 in those games).
  • The Warriors improved to 4-0 this season when shooting at least 50 percent from the field (.506 tonight).
  • Stephen Curry, who appeared in his 712th game to pass Alvin Attles (711) for the fifth most regular season games played in Warriors history, finished with a game-high 26 points to go with seven assists… Curry hit three three-pointers and is now 12 threes shy of tying Reggie Miller for second place on the NBA’s all-time three-point field goals list.
  • Kelly Oubre Jr. scored a season-high 23 points, his first 20-point game of the season (48th career), hitting 9-of-18 from the field.
  • Draymond Green tallied seven points, eight rebounds and nine assists, giving him 2,917 career assists to pass Jeff Mullins (2,913) for sixth place on the Warriors' all-time regular season assists list.
  • Andrew Wiggins finished with 18 points on 7-of-11 from the field (3-of-5 from three) and is one of only two Warriors to score in double figures in every game this season (along with Curry).