kobe klay

The energy from the Oracle Arena will unmatched as the Los Angeles Lakers have come to the Bay Area for the Warriors’ first home game. The Lakers are playing their fourth game in five days while this is Golden State’s second game. The Warriors will face off with Kobe Bryant for the first time since his unfortunate Achilles’s injury. Anytime the Dubs take on an L.A. team, the game brings an unique energy. In case you missed the game, here is our instant recap:

1st Quarter

The Lakers surprisingly looked energetic in the first quarter. Their offense was clicking and to the surprise of everyone, they were able to keep the game close early on. Klay Thompson got going early and quickly found himself with five points. However, the Lakers took the early lead; they did a good job of moving the ball and finding the open man. The Lakers were able to knock down some shots, but the Warriors’ offense quickly made this into a tightly contested game. Thompson was aggressive early on and got two quick fouls while guarding Kobe forcing coach Steve Kerr to remove him immediately. With Thompson battling foul trouble, Curry decided to take over. He had 14 points before you knew it and the Warriors took a one point lead with Curry leading the charge. He picked up the slack after Thompson went out of the game, scoring 12 points and kept this game from slipping away. The Lakers looked like a team hungry for a victory and they were getting contributions from several different players. After one quarter, the Lakers are up 35-29. Curry leads all scorers with 14.

2nd Quarter

Shaun Livingston came into the game, which was quite a surprise as he continued to struggle from the off season’s toe surgery. The Lakers continued to play well; they look much more energetic than the Warriors. Players like Wayne Ellington and Robert Sacre were finding success early on which led to the Lakers taking a 10 point lead and the Oracle crowd was shocked. Harrison Barnes was a spark in the second quarter and scored six quick points in about a minute a half. In three trips down the floor, the Warriors were able to cut the lead from 10 to one. The Lakers were feeling good early on, but an 11-0 run from the Warriors gave them a one point lead. This turned into a completely different game. The Lakers lost their grove and the Warriors’ offense got rolling. Curry had 20 points with about four minutes left in the half. The Warriors biggest lead was 11. Sloppy play by both teams to end the quarter, but the Warriors took a 61-55 lead into halftime. Curry leading all scorers with 20. 

 

3rd Quarter

All of the game’s starters came out to start the third. Draymond Green got the scoring started by draining a right wing three ball. Thompson followed up that with a beautiful baseline reverse layup. The Lakers are leaning on Kobe and Hill’s energy to keep the game within striking difference. Thompson had said he needed to calm himself down and play his game during the half game interview. He looked much more confident attacking the hoop collecting some easy points. The Warriors began playing sloppy basketball allowing the Lakers to stay within five points. Barnes sneaked behind the Lakers for an emphatic clutch slam. Kobe dropped in a tough three but Curry won’t be denied as he answered with his own patented quick release step back. The Lakers continued to play terrible defense and Thompson sneaked behind the defense for a three-point play. With 4:40 to play, Thompson has 22 points on 8-11 shooting and Curry has 25 for himself. It began to become Kobe vs. the Warriors. Bryant forced and missed a 40 footer jumper and Thompson dropped in a three in Kobe’s grille on the other end. After a hard fought quarter, the Warriors outscore the Lakers 32-31 and lead the game 93-86.

4th Quarter

The beginning of the fourth quarter was completely sloppy until Livingston backed down Jeremy Lin then found Green cutting down the lane for a dunk. The Warriors held a 99-90 lead with the “Splash Brothers” on the bench. The second unit was giving the starters adequate rest to prepare them for the finish of the game. The starters are back and Curry made his presence felt. Lin simply could not contain Curry’s dribbling, penetration, and scoring. Curry found Thompson for a corner three forcing the Lakers to call a timeout. The Warriors have pulled away by playing solid defense and hitting open shots. With under five to play, Golden State held a 110-95 lead. Thompson had 36 points on 13-of-17 shooting; 2 points shy of his career high set against the same Lakers. Curry dropped in a baseline jumper pushing his total to 31. With that shot made, the dynamic duo score 30+ for the second Thompson with another three ball to grab a new career high. Thompson finished the game with 41 points and Curry dropped 31. This game was close early on, but the Warriors were able to pull away in the second half.  Final score: 127-104.