LOS ANGELES_The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors met for the third time in three weeks Friday night _ and the second time in three days _ and while it wasn't as lopsided as Wednesday's rout at Oakland, it still wasn't close.
Some of the Lakers' old demons returned as they fell to the Warriors, 109-85, at Staples Center. The Lakers fell to 8-9, while the Warriors won their 10th in a row to improve to 14-2, and 2-1 against the Lakers this season.
"No," Lakers Coach Luke Walton said, when asked if he would miss the Warriors. "I have their phone numbers. I'm very thankful, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, that we do not see them for a long, long time."
The next matchup between the teams is in the final game of the regular season on April 12.
The Lakers made only 35.6 percent of their shots and 22.7 percent on three-pointers, while the Warriors shot better than 50 percent for the second consecutive game. Both teams committed 18 turnovers.
Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 29 points and nine assists, while Stephen Curry added 24 and Klay Thompson added 18. Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 20 points and was the only Lakers starter to hit double figures.
Three starters _ point guard D'Angelo Russell (left knee), power forward Julius Randle (hip pointer) and shooting guard Nick Young (sprained toe) _ all sat out the game. In their place the Lakers started Jose Calderon, rookie Brandon Ingram and Clarkson.
"Nick and Julius probably bring more energy to our team by the way they play," Walton said.
Ingram played aggressively, notching two steals and nine rebounds. He struggled to make shots, though, making only three of 18 from the field in his second career start.
The Lakers opened the game with a 5-0 run, but the Warriors quickly recovered, familiarly. Golden State trailed, 12-10, when Curry and Durant made back-to-back three-pointers to give the Warriors a four-point lead.
They never trailed again.
Durant kept the Warriors afloat during a relatively poor-shooting first half. Durant made six of 10 shots for 16 points, had four rebounds and five assists. Overall the Warriors only shot 47.7 percentt.
Curry, who only had seven points at halftime on two-of-nine shooting, finished with 24 points, five rebounds and five assists. His most notable play came in the second quarter when he missed a fastbreak dunk. His teammates teased him for it, and when the Lakers replayed the foible on their video board, Curry looked up and laughed.
When these teams met Nov. 4 at Staples, it was Walton's first shot at the team where he got his start as an NBA coach. The Lakers led the entire game. Curry and Thompson combined to make two of 10 three-point attempts and the Lakers won, 117-97.
When they met Wednesday, it was Walton's first trip back to Oracle Arena, and the Warriors dominated from start to finish in a 149-106 romp. They showed the Lakers what they strive to be, sharing the ball so well they finished the game with 47 assists.
Walton never re-watched that game.
"I told our film guy that I would throw him out of our room if he put that game on our laptop," Walton said before Friday's game. "I've re-watched the first game we played against them, but not that one from Oakland."
Friday's game bore no resemblance to either previous meeting between the teams.
"It looked like a Thanksgiving food hangover," Walton said. "Golden State's obviously a premiere team in this league. I didn't even think they were great tonight.
"They were good. ... I thought our guys played hard. We didn't play hard and smart tonight."
