OAKLAND, Calif. _ As the game entered crunch time, Warriors fans yelled out something that sums up their feelings toward the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!"
Wish granted. The Warriors finished with a 115-101 victory over the Lakers on Friday with plays that provided plenty of theatrics even with LeBron James. The Lakers star missed Saturday's game after he woke up Saturday morning "feeling pretty sore," according to Lakers coach Luke Walton after logging 40 minutes against the Clippers on Thursday after missing the past 17 games with a groin injury. But that did not stop either the Warriors (37-15) or Lakers (27-26) from offering compelling drama.
The headliners? There were many. After missing Thursday's game against Philadelphia because of unspecified illness, Klay Thompson had 28 points while going 10 of 14 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3. Kevin Durant added 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Though he shot only 5 of 15 from the field, DeMarcus Cousins added 18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a monstrous dunk over Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma in 25 minutes.
Even after missing his first eight shots and five 3s, Stephen Curry eventually had 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. He made two 3s and drove into the lane to give the Warriors a 111-97 cushion with 4:30 remaining.
The Lakers featured Brandon Ingram (20 points), Kuzma (13), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (12), Rajon Rondo (10), Lance Stephenson (10) and Ivica Zubac (10) in double figures.
