By Pearl Allison Lo

~ Golden State followed up their worst preseason loss with their biggest preseason margin, win or lose, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday in the teams’ preseason finale, 136-97, at the Honda Center.

It was a much different game than Los Angeles’s last game and the shortened game the last time the teams met on Saturday.

The Warriors’ Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry led all with 24 points apiece, Harrison Barnes just behind with 23 points. Golden State outscored Los Angeles each quarter, the biggest being the third, where the points margin was 16. The Warriors also outrebounded the Lakers, 57-34.

Lou Williams, who had not played since October 13, led the Lakers with 19 points, which made it double digits in all his preseason appearances. It was the fourth time Williams led his team in points. Los Angeles was again without Kobe Bryant.

There was only one tie, the second shot of the game and Los Angeles’s first. The Lakers had the lead for 42 seconds until Curry’s first three of the game, which came with 9:37 left in the first period. Curry had three three’s in the period, as he scored his most in the first quarter, with 11 points. Barnes also scored a tie for his most in the quarter, just behind Curry with 10 points.  Los Angeles almost went to the free throw line as often as they scored from the field in the first. Williams and Ryan Kelly each scored eight points apiece for the Lakers.

In the second, Golden State started with a 6-0 run as Los Angeles did not score until 9:44 remaining in the half. Two turnovers by the Lakers’ Julius Randle eventually led to jump shots by Leandro Barbosa. The Warriors also had an 8-1 run and during an 8-0 run, with 6:17 left in the half, Los Angeles Coach Byron Scott, made five substitutions. Clarkson left during then due to injury and did not return.   

Curry got a technical and Scott made another four substitutions with 6:14 left in the third. Golden State went on a 10-0 run with 2:36 left thanks to three’s by Curry and Barnes. Five rebounds, two apiece for Marreese Speights and Barnes, led to the other four points.

The Lakers went a span of over five minutes without a field goal. It went from 2:49 left in the third to 9:26 left in the game. Scott made his final round of substitutions, five, with 5:46 remaining. The Warriors’ Chris Babb, who entered in the fourth quarter, scored five points in eight minutes as he made the final two shots for Golden State, a jump shot with 59 seconds left and a three with 13.6 seconds left.

Game notes: Harrison led all with five three pointers. Thompson and Curry had four apiece. Barnes and Thompson shot 9 of 12 and Curry shot 9 of 14 from the field. Curry also led all with 10 assists and four steals. Los Angeles’s Roy Hibbert led all with 10 rebounds. The Warriors’ Jason Thompson was the only player not to score in the game. Golden State kicks off the regular season Tuesday, when they face the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30pm.