Injury-depleted Lakers fall to Warriors, 102-83
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Lakers, 102-83, on Saturday night, extending a double-digit lead in third that the Lakers couldn’t overcome.
In addition to the expected injuries to guards Kobe Bryant (knee), Jordan Farmar (hamstring), Steve Blake (elbow) and Steve Nash (back), Pau Gasol sat out with an upper respiratory infection.
The Lakers made a game of it through the first half, playing well defensively, but their lack of playmaking proved crippling in the third period.
For the game, the Lakers shot just 32.5% from the field with 24 turnovers. Nick Young led all scorers with 20 points.
Jordan Hill had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards. Chris Kaman, starting for Gasol, scored eight but missed 12 of 17 shots. He led the team with 17 rebounds.
Andrew Bogut had a huge night defensively for Golden State, pulling in a game-high 20 rebounds with 12 points and two blocks. David Lee led the Warriors with 19 points as the home team shot 38.8% from the field with 18 turnovers.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson both shot 5 for 15 from the field, scoring 18 and 17, respectively. Curry also had nine assists.
Marreese Speights was ejected in the fourth quarter for his second flagrant foul when he essentially tackled Young.
Temporary stating point guard Xavier Henry scored 13 points with two assists and three turnovers. Jodie Meeks scored 13 with four turnovers.
Kendall Marshall’s debut with the Lakers didn’t amount to much: two turnovers in three minutes -- although he converted a three-point attempt in the final minutes of the blowout.
With the loss, the Lakers fall back below .500 to 13-14. They’ll travel to Phoenix to play the Suns on Monday.
The Warriors (15-13) take a 2-1 season series lead over the Lakers. They’ll also play Monday, visiting the Denver Nuggets.
Warriors 72, Lakers 57 (end of third quarter)
The dam finally broke for the Lakers in third quarter, falling behind by double-digits on the road, second night of a back-to-back without any of their playmakers.
The Lakers shot just 28.6% from the field with 18 turnovers through three quarters, led by Jordan Hill with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Nine different Lakers turned the ball over. Jodie Meeks had four turnovers and Xavier Henry and Nick Young each had three.
The Warriors had five players in double figures, led by David Lee with 15. Andrew Bogut had 10 points with 18 rebounds.
Chris Kaman had 14 rebounds but just eight points on 4-of-16 shooting.
The Lakers’ defense kept them close for a half. The Warriors shot just 36.8% from the field through three quarters with 15 turnovers. The Lakers just couldn’t buy a basket in the third.
Warriors 46, Lakers 42 (halftime)
The second quarter wasn’t an elegant 12 minutes of basketball for either team.
When the halftime buzzer sounded, the Warriors were up by four, despite shooting just 34.6% from the field with nine turnovers.
The Lakers shot 35.7% with 12 turnovers, led by 14 from Jordan Hill whose 6-for-8 shooting from the field was quite the aberration.
David Lee led the Warriors with 13 points. Andrew Bogut had 11 rebounds while Chris Kaman collected 10.
Kendall Marshall made an inauspicious debut for the Lakers, playing three minutes with just a pair of turnovers to show for it.
Warriors 27, Lakers 26 (end of first quarter)
The Lakers put up a solid quarter in Oakland, keeping pace with the Warriors -- despite playing without five key players, including Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
Golden State finished with a one-point advantage on a Toney Douglas three-pointer. Seconds before, Nick Young converted his second four-point play in as many nights.
The Lakers shot only 39.1% from the field, but held Golden State to just 34.5%.
David Lee led all scorers with nine points.
Jordan Hill scored eight for the Lakers before picking up his second foul with about 4 1/2 minutes left in the quarter.
Young had six off the bench.
Pregame
The Lakers (13-13) visit the Golden State Warriors (14-13) on Saturday night, but they’ll be playing without center Pau Gasol.
Gasol will miss the game because an upper respiratory infection, Coach Mike D’Antoni told the Associated Press. Chris Kaman will start in Gasol’s place.
Gasol, the only Laker to have started in the team’s previous 26 games this season, finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds in a 104-91 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
The last time the Lakers traveled to Oakland on the second night of a back-to-back, they were blown out, 125-94, by the Warriors.
Gasol isn’t the only player sitting out against Golden State. Kobe Bryant (knee), Steve Nash (back), Steve Blake (elbow) and Jordan Farmar (hamstring) also won’t be playing. Xavier Henry will make his second start of the season at point guard.
For a more in-depth breakdown, check out Preview: Lakers vs. Memphis Warriors.
ALSO:
Chris Kaman delivers strong performance after finally getting minutes
Lakers pull out a victory over the Timberwolves, 104-91
Kobe-less Lakers ‘excited’ about proving people wrong, D’Antoni says
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
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