by Jessica Kwong

AP photo: A picture says a thousand words Golden State Warriors Steph Curry and teammates are stopped in their tracks by the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday

LOS ANGELES – In a shocker, the Golden State Warriors played more like the struggling Los Angeles Lakers and suffered a major 112-95 upset televised nationally at Staples Center on Sunday afternoon.

Instead of sweeping the Lakers for the first time since the 1993-94 season, the Warriors didn’t look ready to be on the court and let the game run away from them in the second quarter, ending the half trailing 60-49 and failing to turn it around.

“It was a bad performance all the way through, didn’t have much energy to start the game for whatever reason and (the Lakers) played well out there, very aggressive, executed pretty well,” said guard Stephen Curry, who finished with 18 points. “It was just one of those nights that we want to avoid at all costs. But it happened and we’ll be alright.”

Golden State tried to change the momentum in the third quarter, but missed shots they would normally make, and ended the period down 84-73. The Lakers’ shots were going in, and younger players including Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. and Brandon Bass put on a slam dunk show that had fans on their feet.

“For them, a couple of shots go in and they build on that lead. That was the main issue in the second half,” Curry said.

Golden State head coach Steve Kerr put Curry back on the court at the end of the fourth quarter to give it one more push, but the Warriors could not cut into Los Angeles’ lead, so they decided to cut their losses.

While the Lakers, without Kobe Bryant for the final quarter, played with energy and chemistry, the Warriors committed 20 turnovers that Kerr called “careless” on the perimeter.

Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut scored early, but Kerr joked that the Millennials weren’t focused enough to get the ball to them for the remainder of the game.

“We play fast and if you’re rolling, yeah, quick shots are great. But when you’re missing (and) you’re not hitting anything, that’s when you have to figure it out,” the head coach said. “You (don’t have to) necessarily slow the game down, but you have to get the ball moving.”

The Warriors were also cold from the three-point range, making only 4-of-30.

“If we are playing defense and then we are missing shots, we are still in the game and we can fill the basket up very quickly,” Bogut said. “Tonight we didn’t even give ourselves that opportunity because the lead was insurmountable by the three-minute mark.”

Golden State is still two-and-a-half games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs in the western conference and one game ahead of the pace set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who hold the NBA record of 72 victories.

For Warriors players, the highlight on Sunday seemed to be playing one final time against Bryant, who’s retiring at the end of this season after 20 years in the league.

“It’s always special. Obviously he has done so much for this game. I grew up a huge fan of Kobe, so playing him for the last time, I am thankful that I got to play him,” Green said. “That’s history and I am proud to be a part of it, a small part of it.”

Golden State returns to Oracle Arena, where they haven’t lost since Jan. 27, 2015, on Monday to face the Orlando Magic.

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