Lakers rally in fourth, top Warriors in overtime, 118-115

Lakers 118 - Warriors 115 (Final)

Steve Nash finishes with 12 points and nine assists to the lead the Lakers (13-14) to an overtime victory on the road against the Golden State Warriors (18-10). Nash hit the Lakers’ final basket with 16.9 left in the game, playing for the first time since a leg injury took him out on October 31.

The Lakers forced Stephen Curry into a miss to seal the victory, the Lakers surviving Dwight Howard’s significant foul trouble and Kobe Bryant’s poor shooting night (16-of-41).

Pau Gasol dished out six assists and the Nash-Howard pick and roll led to open shots in the corner for the Lakers as they played just their second full game with Nash this season.

Bryant finished with a game-high 34 points. Metta World Peace was huge for the Lakers, scoring 20 off of the bench, including a key three-point shot at near the end of regulation.

Jarrett Jack was a serious problem for the Lakers, finishing with 29 points with 11 assists and just one turnover. David Lee and Curry both scored 20.

The Lakers shot 45.8% from the field, but turned the ball over 20 times. The Warriors hit 44.7% with 19 turnovers.

Lakers head into their Christmas Day battle against the New York Knicks with a four-game winning streak — their longest streak of the season.

Lakers 108 - Warriors 108 (end of regulation)

A wild fourth quarter in Oakland ended with a Kobe Bryant miss at the buzzer . . . overtime.

The Lakers scored 34 points in the fourth, erasing a double-digit Warriors’ lead. Dwight Howard, rolling to the basket off a pass from Steve Nash found Metta World Peace in the corner for three with 24.1 seconds left in the fourth to put the Lakers up by two.

Jarrett Jack, who has 27 points and 11 assists in the game, quickly nailed a pull-up jumper with 14.9 on the clock to tie the game at 108.

The Lakers shot 45.4% through regulation; the Warriors 45.7%. Bryant led all scorers with 28.

Warriors 87 - Lakers 74 (end of third quarter)

If both Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard have bad games simultaneously, the Lakers are going to have a hard time winning.

Howard committed four personal fouls in just over 12 minutes on the court, scoring three points and grabbing just three rebounds. Bryant managed four fouls as well along with 19 missed shots on 29 attempts.

The Warriors had 10 turnovers in the first quarter but have just two since. Meanwhile the Lakers have 17 turnovers while shooting 41.1% from the field.

Bryant led all scorers with 21 points. Jarrett Jack had 20 for the Warriors. Pau Gasol also committed four fouls to go along with his nine points and nine rebounds.

Warriors 61 - Lakers 53 (halftime)

The Warriors exploded on the Lakers late in the second quarter, scoring 14 straight, and they took an eight-point lead into the break.

Jarrett Jack was a problem, scoring 18 points in 15 minutes on 8-11 shooting (along with four assists). Klay Thompson added 13 and David Lee was good for 12 as the Warriors shot 51.1% from the field.

Dwight Howard had trouble staying on the floor, picking up three fouls in just 9 1/2 minutes.

Pau Gasol (four), Jodie Meeks (three) and Howard (three) accounted for 10 of the Lakers 12 turnovers, which led to 17 points for the Warriors.

The Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace with 11 points each, but Bryant hit just 5-of-17 from the field. Jordan Hill contributed 10.

Steve Nash played 17 1/2 minutes, hitting all three of his shots while dishing four assists with no turnovers.

Lakers 31, Warriors 27 (end of first quarter)

The Lakers finally got Steve Nash back on the floor after a leg injury forced him out in the second game of the season. Nash played nine minutes, scoring five points and dishing an assist to Pau Gasol on a lob.

After a shaky start in which the Lakers missed 10 of 13 shots (23.1%), the team went on an offensive tear finishing at 48.1% shooting from the field in the quarter. The Warriors shot 47.4% but turned the ball over 10 times.

Dwight Howard sat five minutes into the game when he was called for his second foul. Warriors center Festus Ezeli went to the bench after 6 1/2 minutes with three fouls.

Metta World Peace, who did not start, was the game’s leading scorer with seven points. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with six. Kobe Bryant made only three of his 10 shots for six points.

Darius Morris got the start at shooting guard next to Nash.

Pregame

The Lakers (12-14) visit the Golden State Warriors (18-9) on Saturday night and Steve Nash makes his return after missing 24 games because of a small fracture in his lower left leg.

The Lakers have struggled with their lack of point-guard production, part of the reason for their 12-14 start. They need to win if they have any plans on catching the Warriors in the standings.

Golden State has a 5 1/2-game lead over the Lakers, but the teams meet three times head-to-head before the end of the regular season, including Saturday’s meeting.

For a more in-depth breakdown, check out Preview: Lakers at Warriors.

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Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.