Tag: Los Angeles Lakers

Game Preview: Kings vs the Lakers tonight 11/10/16 in Sacramento

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

 

slamsonby Charlie O. Mallonee

TRIVIA QUESTION – James Harden leads the NBA in assists (12.3 apg) and ranks fourth in scoring (31.5 ppg). Who is the only player in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and assists in a single season?

Los Angeles Lakers

This is not Kobe’s Lakers team

This is the actually “the team” Mitch Kupchak  has been trying to put together for the past three seasons. No longer are the Lakers centered around an aging “star” who would not accept a reduced role for the betterment of the team.

D’Angelo Russell – the number two-overall draft pick in 2015 – is leading the team in scoring with an average of 15.4 points per game. Third-year forward Julius Randle out of Kentucky is beginning to be an impact player in the starting line up averaging 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He has two double-doubles so far this season. Guard Jordan Clarkson is adding 15.1 points per start for LA. The “youngsters” are starting to make their mark on the team.

New coach – new attitude

Luke Walton is in his first year as head coach of the Lakers. He was the “hottest” coaching prospect on the market during the off-season after the job he did filling in for Steve Kerr at Golden State. Walton is the eighth person to have played for and coach the Lakers. He is also the youngest head coach in the NBA at 36 years old.

Lakers come into the game tonight with 4-4 record

The Lakers have won three of their last four games. They are coming off a 109-97 loss at home to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. It was the first time LA had not scored at least 100 points in their last five games. They also suffered a defensive lapse as Dallas shot 52.4-percent from the field.

The Lakers biggest win of the season came on November 4 when they downed the Golden State Warriors 117-97 on national television.

One of the most improved teams

The Lakers are considered by some to be one the most improved teams in “the association”.

Sacramento Kings

Trying to keep the winning streak alive

After winning big in in Toronto last Sunday to close out the road trip and handling the winless Pelicans at home on Tuesday night, the Kings are anxious to up their winning streak to three in-a-row.

DeMarcus Cousins is still leading the way on offense for the Kings with 25.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He scored 28 against the Pels. Rudy Gay continues to be hot averaging 22.4 points per game. Darren Collison will play in his second game since returning from suspension and should have some significant impact on the second unit against the Lakers.

Defense is the key

The key to the back-to-back victories for the Kings has been holding their opponent to under 100 points. They are still averaging giving up 101.9 points per game which is too high but is coming down from the 102.5 that is was at the beginning of the road trip.

The Lakers have scored 108 points or more in each of their four wins.

Going for the sweep

The Kings swept the Lakers in the four-game series last season for the first time in their history. Sacramento would like to send a message in this game that they have every intention of repeating that feat again this season.

The Kings have won seven games in-a-row against the Lakers and five in-a-row in Sacramento.

Tough back-to-back

The Kings host the Lakers in Sacramento tonight and then have to travel to Portland to play the always tough Trail Blazers on Friday night. They face a reduced chance to win on the road because of the back-to-back scenario in Portland.

For entertainment purposes only

FiveThirtyEight.com using their CARM-elo system gives the Kings a 70-percent chance of winning tonight’s game with the Lakers. They say take the Kings minus 5.5 points.

Some of the other well-known entertainment sites also have the Kings as the favorites at minus 5.5 points with an over/under of 209 to 209.5.

Nationally televised game

Tonight’s game is being televised across the nation by TNT. That means their is no local play-by-play cable coverage on Comcast California.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Nate Archibald of the Kansas City-Omaha Kings led the NBA in scoring (34.0 ppg) and assists (11.4 apg) in 1972-73.

Kings triumph in Toronto 96-91

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
NBA: Sacramento Kings at Toronto Raptors
Photo credit:Tom Szczerbowski USA Today

by Charlie O. Mallonee

Kings victorious in final game of road trip 

The Sacramento Kings bounced back from playing one of their worst games of the season on Saturday in Milwaukee to playing one of their best games of the year on Sunday in Toronto to defeat the Raptors 96-91. Toronto (4-2) had won three consecutive games. The Kings (3-5) had lost four games in a row.

The Kings have played what has been rated the toughest schedule so far this season in the NBA. Five games in seven nights on the road in the Eastern Conference traveling from Miami to Toronto is brutal. It is also the reality of playing in the NBA. Every team has stretches in their schedules like this and to be successful a team has to deal with the difficulties.

The Kings found a way to deal with best team they had to face on this road trip by stepping up their defense and shortening the rotation off the bench. Head coach Dave Joerger used just nine players off his bench on Sunday night and his veteran players came through for him with the extended playing time – especially on defense.

The Kings held the hot shooting Raptors to just 35.7-percent (30-for-84) from the floor. The Toronto guard tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry entered the contest averaging 53 points combined per game. The Sacramento defense held them to just 38 combined points on Sunday night.

DeRozan had scored at least 30 points in each of Toronto’s five games this year. The Kings held him to just 23 points.

The Sacramento Kings won on Sunday because of their defense. It has been awhile since you have read those words.

It’s deja vu all over again

The Kings swept the two -game series with the Raptors last season. The Kings won 107-101 in Sacramento behind DeMarcus Cousins 36 points and 10 rebounds. The Kings downed the Raptors in Toronto 104-94 when they had six players score in double figures.

The Kings will have a chance to complete the sweep this season on Sunday November 20 when the Raptors will visit the Golden 1 Center.

Kings dominate the paint

Toronto was without starting center Jonas Valanciunas who sat out because of a left knee contusion. That meant the Raptors 2016 first-round draft pick Jakob Poeltl and Lucas Nogueira who the Raptors have been developing overseas and in the D-League since 2011 had to play the five spot. Poeltl looked like a rookie and eventually fouled out of the game. Nogueria who was seeing his first action of the season after being out because of a sprained ankle looked very good. It is easy to see why Toronto has invested in his development.

The Kings dominated the paint outscoring the Raptors 52-30. Sacramento also out-rebounded Toronto 47-43.

Top performers

Rudy Gay led the Kings scoring attack with 23 points. Gay missed the game in Milwaukee with sore ribs. He played the game in Toronto with his ribs wrapped which did affect his shooting as he went 9-for-19 from the floor.

DeMarcus Cousins posted another double-double game with 22 points and 14 rebounds to go with four assists. Cousins was much more effective from out on the high post than down low under the basket. When he would drive the lane, Cousins was virtually unstoppable.

Ty Lawson was very good on the point dishing out 11 assists and adding five points. Shooting guard Arron Afflalo scored 12 points off just eight shots.

Matt Barnes was a force on defense and scored eight points plus grabbed 10 rebounds. Garrett Temple impacted the game with presence scoring eight points to go with a steal and a blocked shot.

DeRozan led the Raptors in scoring with 23 points but went 7-for-20 shooting. Lowry had 10 assists. Nogueia was the Raptors leading rebounder with five.

Dave Joerger was a happy man after the game

In the postgame press conference Joerger said:

  • He was really proud of his guys and how they responded in a back-to-back game
  • They (the Kings) get after people defensively
  • We had seven guys with two or more rebounds
  • We kept the turnovers down (the Kings had 11 turnovers and gave up just two points off those turnovers)
  • We had seven stops in a row with under 2:30 to play
  • A win like this gives you confidence
  • Rudy (Gay) gave us a big boost

What’s coming up

The Kings have a long flight home and then must get ready to face the New Orleans Pelicans (0-6) on Tuesday night at the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento then has the Lakers (3-3) at home on Thursday night before heading back out on the road.

The Raptors hit the road and will face the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Wednesday. They then travel to Charlotte to face the Hornets on Friday night.

Golden State Warriors-Los Angeles Lakers game analysis and commentary: The Lakers upset The Dubs, win by twenty.

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton knows enough about the Golden State Warriors from coaching them last year came prepared for Friday’s game win at Staples Center

Los Angeles-The late Dinah Washington had a hit song titled “What a difference a day make. Twenty-four little hours.” The Golden State Warriors did not look like the team that blew away the Oklahoma City Thunder Thursday night; They were a team that was out of rhythm and made too mistakes both on offense and defense and the Los Angeles Lakers beat them by twenty points 117-97 Friday night in LA Friday night at the Staples Center.

The young Laker team coached by former Warriors’ assistant coach Luke Walton, had no trouble taking the ball to the rim all night long. They outrebounded the Dubs 32-29 in the first half. Golden State had trouble making 3-point shots all night long. In the first half, the Dubs make just two 3-point shots in seventeen attempts. They fell behind by twelve 24-12 late in the stanza. Andre Iguodala made a three but the Lakers countered with a bucket to end the period up by nine 24-15.

The Warriors played better in the second quarter. They scored thirty-four. The Lakers failed to fold, and they poured in forty-one to lead by sixteen at the half.  The Lakers were led by Nick Young(10),Julius Randle(12),D’Angelo Russell(6),Tarik Black(8),Jordan Clarkson(9),and Larry Nance,Jr(8). They outrebounded the Dubs 32-23, and the Warriors turned the ball over nine times.

The Warriors made a run in the third period, but the Lakers rebuffed them at every turn. The Dubs went on a 16-2 run to reduce the deficit to seven. Luke Walton would call a timeout every time the Dubs started to gain momentum, and that seemed to upset the team’s rhythm. The Lakers finished the third quarter ahead by eleven 93-82. Golden State continued to thwart the Warriors every effort to get back in the game. The Lakers went on a 7-0 run to put the game out of reach, and they sent the Dubs down to their second loss of the season 117-97.

Game Notes- The Warriors backcourt duo of Klay Thompson and Steph Curry had, perhaps, one of their worst games ever. Steph scored thirteen points and did not make a single 3-point shot all night. He was 0-for 12 and his NBA record 157 consecutive game streak was snapped. Klay made two 3-point shots but missed eight and tallied just ten points in the contest. Kevin Durant led the Dubs with twenty-seven, and Draymond Green added sixteen. Green had four assists and nine rebounds and was, probably, one of the bright spots on defense for the Dubs. Kevon Looney and Shaun Livingston scored nine and eleven off the bench. Kevin Durant scored at least twenty points in his seventieth straight game.

The Lakers were paced by Julis Randle, D’Angelo Russell, Nick Young, Larry Nance, theyJr.,Lou Williams and Brandon Ingram. The Lakers shot 47.4% from the floor. They made eight 3-point shots and led the Dubs in rebounds 51-40. The Dubs committed sixteen turnovers that cost them dearly. Golden State’s record is now 4-2 and the Lakers improve to 3-3.

The Dubs are off until Monday, and Coach Steve Kerr will be studying the game tapes to figure out ways to get the Dubs back on the right track. They played well in the last two games prior to Friday’s night’s debacle in LA.  The two games that they have lost have been by wide margins indicating the team is still a work in progress.

The Warriors return home to face the New Orleans Pelicans Monday Night at the Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

 

 

Sources: PG Jordan Farmar signs with the Kings

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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By Charlie O. Mallonee

According to reports that are being attributed to an anonymous source, the Sacramento Kings have signed veteran point guard Jordan Farmar to a one-year contract. David Pick who follows players from the USA who are playing in Europe was the first to report the signing. Farmar played in Turkey and in Israel before returning in the Spring for the end of the NBA season.

Farmar played the waning days of the 2015-16 season for Kings head coach Dave Joerger in Memphis. In 12 regular season games, he averaged 9.2 points, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 24 minutes of playing time per game. Farmar started four playoff games for the Grizzlies as well.

The Kings were looking to add depth at the point guard position because of the uncertainty that surrounds the status of Darren Collison. Collison who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery will face discipline and most likely time off from the NBA but that has yet to be announced. The Kings obviously believe the suspension will be long enough that a back-up to the recently signed Ty Lawson was needed.

Farmar is a nine-year NBA veteran who has played for the Lakers, Nets, Clippers and Grizzlies. He has averaged 7.7 points, 2.9 assists and 0.8 assists per game for his career. Farmar was a first-round draft selection (26th overall) in 2006. He played his college basketball at UCLA.

Farmar is known as a guard that can score and distribute the ball. Quickness has always been a hallmark of his game but at 29-years-old that quality may be a bit diminished. Farmar has very good leaping ability on defense.

Kings defeat Lakers, 118-115, in Kobe’s Sacramento Farewell

Published on by Michael MartinezLeave a comment

by Michael Martinez

picture credit Google Images

SACRAMENTO- Nostalgia was in the air at Sleep Train Arena tonight. The Lakers and Kings played a game that brought everyone back to the memories of what was once the NBA’s best rivalry. Kobe Bryant was vintage, taking us back into a time machine as well in his final game in Sacramento. The crowd got loud, the Beat LA chants surfaced and the game came down to the wire. But that same nostalgia should have never been as the Kings let a 27-point lead dwindle in a matter of minutes. Luckily for the Kings their lead was just enough as the team sent off Bryant with a loss in his final game in Sacramento, 118-115, in a tale of two halves.

The Kings came out of the gate with great ball movement and shot the ball with precision while playing with great tempo. The team was able to get off to a hot start, going on a 19-4 run before the Lakers took a timeout to try and stop the bleeding. The Kings pushed the ball up court well, totaling 11 fast break points. The ball was continuously moved throughout the quarter and the Kings dropped 11 assists while turning the ball over just 2 times. The Kings biggest lead of the quarter was 21 when they went up 25-4 over Los Angeles. The Lakers tried to find some sort of offense, but the Kings looked better on defense only allowing the Lakers to shoot 40% from the field. The Kings shot 60% from the field, 15-25. DeMarcus Cousins continued his recent dominance with 12 points, 3-6 from the field, with 2 of those field goals coming from behind the arc. Cousins also grabbed 5 rebounds while going 4-4 from the charity stripe. Rajon Rondo finished the quarter with 5 dimes and Quincy Acy was a nice spark with 7 points as he started the game for the Kings. Ben McLemore did a nice job of getting to the hoop as he finished with 8 points. Great overall team play put the Kings on top of the Lakers, 38-21, after the first quarter.

The second quarter featured much of the same for Sacramento, although the Lakers played a bit better cutting the Kings lead to 14 early in the quarter. The Kings found a way to answer right back, however, as the team was able to sustain. Cousins was an efficient scorer, adding 10 more points in the second, 3-3 from the field and 4-5 from the free throw line. Cousins totaled 22 points for the game high, adding 6 boards. The Kings shot the ball 59.1% for the half while only turning the ball over 3 times in the quarter, for a total of 5 at the half. Bryant made his presence felt with 18 points in the half on 7-12 shooting. The Kings used their dominance in the paint to keep the lead after 2 quarters, 69-48.

Up by 21 heading into the 3rd, the game was the Kings to lose. The team still found a way to hold a big lead through half of the 3rd quarter, going up by 27 at one point. Rondo still found a way to dish the ball out and Acy benefitted from it.  Rondo also had a break out pass to Rudy Gay for a big hammer dunk in the quarter. But Cousins picked up a 5th with 5:48 remaining and that really hurt the Kings. The Lakers slowly cut down the Kings lead, Bryant totaled 10 points in the quarter, and finished the night with 28 points. Acy scored 11 points in the quarter and finished the 3rd with 18 points. D’Angelo Russell had a good quarter and finished with 16 points through 3. The Kings were still able to keep their shooting percentage up high at 58.6% and held the lead, 102-86.

The 4th quarter went as horrible as the Kings could possibly imagine. The young Lakers team played without Bryant for the 4th and they attacked the Kings defense. D’Angelo Russell scored 11 points and Jordan Clarkson added 12. The two young guards tore up the Kings defense while the Kings could not find a way to score. The Kings watched their lead completely disappear, as the Lakers went on a 24-3 run to take the lead, 109-108. The game soon became back and forth, with Sleep Train getting extremely loud. Gay took an alley oop from Rondo to put the Kings up late, but the Lakers came right back. The Lakers tried to foul rondo, who split a pair of free throws. Then Cousins was fouled and split a pair of free throws, the Lakers were up 115-114. . The Kings took the lead with 21.7 seconds remaining on a tear drop lay-up from Rondo. On the next passion, Cousins caused Clarkson to turn the ball over as the Kings were up by 1 and then drew a foul. Cousins made both free throws. As the Kings were up 118-115, Lou Williams took a 3 pointer in the final seconds and missed it. The crowd breathed a sigh of relief as the Kings were outscored 29-16 in the quarter, but pulled out the victory.

The Lakers shot the ball 55% for the quarter and finished shooting 54.7%. In the 4th, the Kings shot the ball at 40%. Cousins finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. Rondo finished with 9 points and 12 assists. Acy was a great spark for the Kings, finishing the night with 18 points. The Kings finished the game in sloppy fashion and ended the night with 15 turnovers. Their dominance in the paint did prevail, 64 points on the night. The Kings are now 10-3 when shooting over 50% with a 55.3 shooting percentage on the night. Russell scored 27 for the Lakers as he looks to be the new Kings killer and Williams added 20. The Kings barely squeaked out a win and Coach George Karl was not too pleased with his team afterwards.

After answering a few questions, Karl walked out of the media room.

After the game, Bryant reminisced on his time in Sacramento and about the applause from the fans.

“It was great. It’s a sign of respect, even though we’ve been enemies for years…” said Bryant.

Bryant also had high praise for Cousins who finished 1 point shy of 30. Cousins would have finished his fourth consecutive game with 30+ plus points had he made one more free throw or field goal.

Although the Kings won, there was little satisfaction.

Coach Karl said “Dallas was a good loss, tonight was a bad win..”

Boogie agreed.  “I feel the loss against Dallas was better than this win against the Lakers,” said Cousins.

The Kings almost gave away a huge lead and need to find a way to close out games while not playing to the level of opponents who are much worse than them. The Kings will take on the Warriors at home this Saturday and if the team hopes to stand a chance, they will need to play like they did in the first half, while closing out the second half.

Kings End Season On A High Note, Beat Lakers 122-99

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By Shawn Whelchel

In what could be considered a small moral victory, the Sacramento Kings handed the Los Angeles Lakers one final loss to close out their disastrous 2015 season, beating the downtrodden team by a score of 122-99 on Wednesday’s season finale.

Although the Kings have had their fair share of injury troubles, which have held starters DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay out of action during the season’s final few games, the Lakers were only able to suit up eight players for Wednesday nights finale during a season which furthered the once prosperous franchise’s fall from grace.

The Kings pounced on the makeshift Los Angeles lineup, jumping out to an early lead by the end of the first quarter, and never looking back, as they continued to make short work of the Lakers defense throughout the entire game.

The Kings finished with seven players in double figures, including all five starters.Ben McLemore led the team with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting, followed by Ray McCallum who dished in 19 points on 7-of-14 from the field. Derrick Williams and Ryan Hollins provided some spark off the bench, finishing the game in double figures as well. Sacramento’s offense was efficient throughout the entire game, as the squad finished the contest with a 54.8 shooting percentage from the field, and an impressive 47.1 percentage from beyond the arc as they converted 8-of-17 three point attempts.

The loss put an even bigger stain on a wasted Lakers season, as the 21-61 season record gave Los Angeles their worst record in franchise history, good for second worst in the Western Conference behind the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves. The Kings, however, finished the season with a modest two game winning streak while surpassing last year’s win total by one.

The Kings are setup for improving on their fourth place finish in the Pacific Division as new head coach George Karl will be at the helm of the team for his first full season next year. The Kings finished with an 11-19 record under Karl, although they were without Cousins and Gay for the end of the season.

The Warriors squeeze by the Lakers

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March 16, 2015

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors had their hands full Monday night against the lowly Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are now 17-49 for the year, but they battled the Dubs tooth and nail all the way, but they lost 108-105. Golden State improves to 53-13 and with the win clinched a playoff berth for the third consecutive year in a row and also improved their record at Oracle Arena to 30-2.

The Warriors had won two out of three against the Lakers this year but the Lakers dealt the Dubs their worst loss of the year in December and came into town wanting to play the role of spoiler and gunning for the upset.

Play was even in the first period as both teams scored 30 points. The Warriors and an 8-point lead early in the second period and then a nine-point lead with just 4 minutes left in the half. The Lakers went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 52, but Dubs finished the half with a four-point lead 58-54. The teams played it even in the third period. Each team scored 24 points as they headed into the fourth period. The Lakers actually outscored the Warriors by one point in the final period, but they made it a very close game. The Warriors pulled away at the end as the Lakers had to foul and Steph Curry made them pay.Final score 108-105 in favor of Golden State.

Now for the stats. The lakers had 6 players in double figures.Jordan Hill(15), Jordan Clarkson(17), Wesley Johnson (16), Wayne Ellington (17). Jeremy Lin(15) and Carlos Boozer(10) were strong off the bench. The Lakers shot 45.9% from the floor and were 8 for 15 in 3-point shots. They had 11 offensive and 34 defensive rebounds. They had 24 assists, 11 steals, 5 blocks and made 18 turnover in a losing effort.

The Warriors, on the other hand, were 47.6% from the floor but made just 7 3-point shots in 27 attempts. They had 7 offensive and 30 defensive rebounds. They had 28 assists, 16 steals, and 7 blocked shot and turned the ball over 14 times.

Klay Thompson led the scoring with 26 points. Harrison Barnes had 11, Draymond Green 16 points, 3 assists and 8 rebounds while Steph Curry scored 19 (17 in the second half0 plus 9 assists and 4 rebounds. No other Warrior was in double figures. The bench played well but did not score a lot. Andre Iguodala had 8, David Lee five and Festus Ezeli and Shaun Livingstone each had six.

Next game will be a doozy as the Warriors, best team in the Western Conference, meet the best team in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks at the Oracle Arena Wednesday night, March 18th at 7:30pm. The Warriors will be trying to avenge a loss earlier in the season to Atlanta. Don’t miss this one.

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About rxslugger

Retired pharmacist who now has a career as a sports writer and broadcaster

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Thompson’s career-high 41 points paces Warriors past Lakers

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — It’s official: Klay Thompson loves to play the Los Angeles Lakers.

Thompson scored a career-high 41 points, guiding the Golden State Warriors to their first home win of the season with a 127-104 victory over Los Angeles in front of a sellout crowd of 19,596 at Oracle Arena Saturday night.

“We got into a great offensive flow tonight,” said Thompson, who also grabbed five rebounds. “I thought if we could stay aggressive and play well, we could win.”

Stephen Curry scored 31 points and dished out 10 assists (turning the ball over just twice).

“We wanted to come out and be aggressive and feed off this crowd,” Curry said. “It was a collective win.”

Golden State found themselves down by 43-33 in midway through the second quarter, but went on a 25-4 run to take a 61-55 lead at halftime. After Los Angeles shot 63% from the floor in the first quarter, Golden State limited the Lakers to just 50% shooting in the second quarter.

Harrison Barnes added 15 points, and Draymond Green chipped in nine points and five rebounds while starting in place of injured power forward, David Lee.

Andre Iguodala and Leandro Barbosa scored nine points each to the lead the Warriors’ scoring off the bench.

“We got a lot to work on, but when you have Thompson and Curry in the backcourt, with the versatility of a [Harrison] Barnes and a [Draymond] Green, its fun to coach,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.

“I thought our energy didn’t really show up until the third quarter, but I liked how we responded and continued to play hard and executed  the game plan better.”

After shooting 3-of-10 from the field and scoring just eight points in the first half, Kobe Bryant scored 19 of his 28 points in the third quarter. Bryant and Thompson put on a show in the third quarter, trading baskets and playing each other aggressively. The Lakers’ legend also finished tied for the team lead with six rebounds.

“He’s [Bryant] is such a great player that’s done it all in the league,” Thompson said, “He’s amazing.”

Jordan Hill scored 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting, and Wesley Johnson added 15 points. Ed Davis had 13 points and six rebounds for the Lakers.

Los Angeles has dropped their fourth game in five nights and at 0-4, it’s the first time that the Lakers have started a season 0-4 in their history in Los Angeles.

The Warriors had their way with the Lakers down low, outscoring Los Angeles 62-42 in the paint. Golden State smothered Los Angeles’ 3-point shooting, handcuffing the Purple & Gold to 4-of-14 (28%) from beyond the arc.

The real story was the play of Thompson, who finished 14-of-18 shooting from the field, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Thompson’s previous career-high of 38 points came in Golden State’s home opening win last year against, coincidentally, the Lakers.

Many wondered after Thompson and Golden State agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $70 million if Thompson is even worth such a large financial commitment. I think with Thompson’s performance tonight, he’s answered the question that the money that Golden State has committed into keeping the “Splash Brothers” together, will be well spent.

“We had some great flow tonight…It’s always fun playing the Lakers,” Thompson said.

At 2-0, Golden State heads to Portland to take on the Trailblazers and Oakland native, Damien Lilliard, Sunday before returning home to take on their bitter rivals the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Game Notes:

The Golden State Warriors announced Thursday that the team has exercised the fourth-year contract options on forward Harrison Barnes and center Festus Ezeli, which are for the 2015-16 NBA season. The team did not exercise the third-year contract option on guard Nemanja Nedovic.

 

Warriors beat the LA Lakers in Pre-season game

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant battle for a loose ball during the first half of a preseasonGolden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant battle for a loose ball during the first half of a preseason basketball game, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) ( Mark J. Terrill )

The Golden State Warriors played their second pre-season game of the year against the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night at the Staples Center in LA. The Warriors were led by Klay Thompson as they beat the hated Lakers 120-105. Thompson scored 20 points in the first half and ended up with 25 total playing just 25 minutes of the game. The other half of the Splash Brothers, Steph Curry scored 20 in his 27 minutes of work and the Warriors cause was helped out by David Lee with 12 points and 4 assists. Andrew Bogut had 4 points,6 rebounds,four assists and four blocked shots, Harrison Barnes contributed 11 points and his play was much better overall Thursday night. Brandon Rush, trying to make the team again, had 8 points and was on the floor for 16 minutes.

The Lakers’ aging superstar, Kobe Bryant had 15 points for the game but Carlos Boozer led the club with 16. Bryant said this about Thompson”he has the whole package.”

Former Laker great, Jerry West, an NBA Hall of Fame member and an executive Board member of the Warriors said this about Klay” I talked to some people who were involved with USA basketball, and they loved him, absolutely loved him.”

Game notes- the Warriors and Klay Thompson are working on an extension but they are 2-3 million dollars apart at the present time. Thompson is in his third year in the league and has improved each year and the club would like to get the contract settled by Halloween. If they don’t agree, Thomson will become a restricted free agent meaning that the Warriors can match any exorbitant offer sheet he sign with another team in July 2015.

Andre Iguodala suffered a broken nose just before halftime but is expected to play Sunday against the Lakers in Ontario.

The Warriors committed 14 turnovers which was a big improvement as they turned the ball over 23 times against the Clippers last Wednesday night.

The Warriors will have an open practice from 6-7:30pm October 23rd at Oracle Arena. Parking and admission will be free.

Warriors Romp Lame Lakers, Crush Short-handed Los Angeles 102-83:

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment
OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 21: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors shoots a layup against Robert Sacre #50 of the Los Angeles Lakers on December 21, 2013 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 21: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors shoots a layup against Robert Sacre #50 of the Los Angeles Lakers on December 21, 2013 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

By Matthew Harrington

In man-handling the Los Angeles Lakers 102-83 at Oracle Arena Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors reversed their fortunes against teams without their usual star power. On Thursday the Spurs, who were short Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker, slipped past Golden State 104-102. With a chance to rectify Thursday’s loss against a gutted foe, the Warriors (15-13) punished the punchless Lakers (13-14) who were missing injured stars Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and new addition to the infirmed Pau Gasol (out Saturday with a upper respiratory infection).

Laker forward Nick Young had a game-high 20 points coming off the bench, while David Lee led Golden State with 19 and 10 rebounds to complete the double-double. Andrew Bogut joined Lee registering double-digits in points (12) and rebounds (20).
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson had five field goals apiece for the home side, good for 18 and 17 points respectively. Laker center Chris Kaman’s 17 rebounds in the contest were second only to Bogut’s total.

Andre Iguodala again struggled, collecting only three points on one shot made in six attempts in 24 minutes of action in his third game back from injury. Iguodala stood as the lone Warrior starter to not crack double figures in scoring.

The Warriors held a slim one-point lead after the first quarter before adding a slight four-point gap at the half leading 46-42. The Dubs did most of the damage in the third, outscoring the Lakers 26-15 in the pivotal frame. Thompson had eight points in the third, including a pair of threes to stake the hosts to a 72-57 lead. The Warriors wrapped up the blowout by outscoring their Rivals from the south 30-26, sealing the victory.

With the win, the Warriors managed to hold the Lakers from gaining ground in the standings. Golden State stands one place out of playoff position with the Lakers a game and a half behind them. With the Warriors heading to the Mile-high City to face the eighth-place Nuggets Monday night, a Dubs victory would move them over Denver into the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The tip-off is at 6:00 p.m.