Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James forward (23) tries to take a shot against the Golden State Warriors forward (95) Juan Toscano-Anderson during the first half of the NBA Western Conference Play In game on Wed May 19, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers met to decide the seventh seed in the NBA’s Western Conference. The defending NBA champions had a rough season as two of the superstar players, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, missed significant playing time due to injuries.

The injury bug also affected the Warriors. Golden State lost Klay Thompson for the season, and Kelly Oubre, Jr. is sidelined with a wrist injury. Rookie James Wiseman went down with a knee injury and was done for the year. The Warriors were down to using eight players. The task was monumental. The Lakers blew out the Warriors in two of three games played in the regular season.

Steph Curry has a history of not shooting well in Staples Arena. Was it possible the Warriors could find a way to beat the Lakers and become the seventh seed? The Warriors pulled out all the stops, but it was not enough as they fell to the Lakers 103-100 Wednesday night.

The Lakers will face the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. The Warriors return home to play the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night at the Chase Center. The winner will be playing the Utah Jazz in the first round of the tournament. 

The Warriors raced out to an early 15-4 lead in the first quarter. The Lakers, as so many teams in the NBA have done, put two players on Stephen Curry. The Lakers wanted the other four players on the court to beat them. The Lakers were much bigger than the Warriors. Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, and LeBron James had the height advantage over Kevon Looney, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins. The Warriors were excellent on defense, and they finished the first quarter leading 28-22.

In the second quarter, Curry hit three threes. They held the Lakers to 32% from the floor. Jordan Poole and Juan Toscan-Anderson knocked down threes to propel the Warriorss to a ten-point lead 52-42 with seconds left to play in the first half.

Curry knocked down his third three when he connected as the buzzer sounded to end the first 24 minutes of play. The Warriors led 55-42. Curry led the Warriors with 15. Wiggins had nine, Juan Toscano-Anderson eight. The Lakers’ Alex Caruso paced LA with 12. The Warriors held the Lakers’ big three scorers, James, Davis, and Dennis Schroder, to 13 points total.

After the halftime intermission, the Lakers came out determined to change the outcome of the game. LA went on a 14-2 run to start the third quarter to close with a single point 57-56. The Warriors regrouped as Curry, Kent Bazemore, and Kevon Looney made crucial buckets to put the ‘s ahead by nine 73-62.

The Lakers fought back. LeBron James hit a three to make it 76-73. Anthony Davis threw down a deuce to close within one, 76-75. Curry countered with a three. The Warriors finished the quarter with a two-point lead 79-77. The Lakers outscored the Warriors 35-24 in the third period. The Laker defense forced eight Warrior turnovers that led to 12 points for LA. The Warriors knew they had to play better in the fourth quarter if they hoped to be the seventh seed. 

Things did not go well for the Warriors at the start of the final stanza. The Lakers rolled off an 8-0 run to lead for the first time in the game 85-79. The Warriors fought back to tie the game 91-91. The Warriors regained the lead 96-95 when Jordan Poole connected on a three. The teams tied again 100-100 with 1:21 left to play. LeBron James hit a three-pointer just before the 24-second clock went off the put LA in the driver’s seat. The Lakers’ defense stopped the Warriors to win 103-100.

Game Notes and Stats: The Warriors will face the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night at the Chase Center. The Warriors beat the Grizzlies 113-101 last Sunday night. The winner of Friday Night’s game will face the number one seed, the Utah Jazz, in the playoffs. The loser is done for the year. 

Curry finished the night with 37 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. He was 12-for-23 from the floor, and he connected on six threes in nine tries. Andrew Wiggins finished with 21. Kent Bazemore and Jordan Poole each had ten. Draymond Green finished with two points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Kevon Looney pulled down 13 boards. 

The Warriors shot 44% from the floor, and LA shot 40%. The Warriors made 15 threes, and LA knocked down ten. The Lakers’ defense helped LA win the game. They had 15 steals, seven blocked shots, and forced 20 Warrior turnovers. The Warriors committed five in the first half. The Lakers earned 29 points off the turnovers. The Lakers also had the advantage from the free-throw line. They outscored the Warriors 19-11 in that department. 

Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points. He had five in the first half. Davis also had a double-double with 12 rebounds. LeBron James finished the night with a triple-double. He scored 22 points to go along with 11 boards and ten assists. Other Lakers in double-figures were Alex Caruso, 14, Dennis Schroder, 12, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ten.

The battle for the right to play Utah will start at 6 pm at the Chase Center in San Francisco.