Coming off a win against the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers kicked off their six-game road trip against the Golden State Warriors on primetime television.
Anytime LeBron James takes on Stephen Curry is appointment viewing as the generational superstars have a knack for putting on a show. Facing each other for the first time during the 2023-24 season, James and Curry didn’t disappoint as they led their respective teams in scoring.
The Lakers and Warriors didn’t give up an inch late in the night as the game went into double overtime. However, Los Angeles was able to squeeze out a win thanks to James, who knocked down the game-winning free throw in the extra period to extend the team’s win streak.
James continues to make history in Year 21 as he became the oldest player with a 30-point triple-double. He also became the first Laker since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to record more than 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a game.
The King set a regular season career-high of 20 rebounds, a pivotal stat against Golden State was was undersized against Los Angeles. James’ final stat line ended up being 36 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists.
Anthony Davis was huge in the first quarter as he dominated the painted area against the smaller Warriors front court. However, it looked like disaster struck when he looked to be in serious pain after taking a knee from Draymond Green. Davis stayed in the game to knock down free throws before going back to the locker room.
However, Davis was able to return to the court after being diagnosed with hip spasms and gutted out the rest of the evening. He would finish with 29 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and four blocks.
D’Angelo Russell continued to show the front office that he might be worth keeping past the NBA trade deadline as he came alive in the second half after a rough first half. Russell has never been shy shooting the basketball and he hit one of the biggest shots of the night from three to give L.A. a late lead.
Despite a pair of ill-timed turnovers, Russell was huge in the Lakers’ win as he dropped 28 points.
Meanwhile, Jarred Vanderbilt is furthering his case to start as he was once again a difference-maker on both ends of the floor. Vanderbilt closed the game ahead of Taurean Prince and made energy plays that kept the Lakers in it.
What’s next for Lakers
The Lakers will start to head east on their road trip as they have a back-to-back set against the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
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