Stephen Curry had 31 points, six assists and four rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors erased an early 25-point deficit then ran away from Luka DonĨić and the Los Angeles Lakers for a 112-95 win Friday night in an NBA Cup game. It was the largest margin of victory in the shot clock era for a team that trailed by 20 or more points at the end of the first quarter. On March 4, 1976, the Warriors trailed the Bulls 41-18 after one quarter and won by 14 at 124-110, the previous best.
DonĨić had 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting with five 3-pointers, five assists and a pair of steals through the first quarter as the Lakers raced ahead 38-15. The Warriors then outscored the Lakers by the same 38-15 score in the second. DonĨić finished with 37, which means he scored 16 over the last three quarters.
Curry made eight three-pointers, so 24 of his 31 points came from deep. His fourth-quarter 3 moved him past Dominique Wilkins into 18th on the NBA scoring list. Brandin Podziemski added 21 points, six assists and five rebounds, while De’Anthony Melton scored 16 off the bench and fellow reserve Georges Niang 11. The Lakers got a total of just seven points from their bench.
The win came despite an off night from star rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who had six points, five turnovers and six fouls. Draymond Green logged nine assists and three steals.
Golden State’s Depth Is Covering for Its Starting Group
Golden State entered at 2-3, 10th in the Western Conference, and the way it got to 3-3 points to where this roster actually stands. Lendeborg started alongside Gui Santos, Curry, Podziemski and Green, and that opening stretch produced a 23-point hole at the first-quarter buzzer and 10 of Golden State’s turnovers.
The comeback ran through Melton and Niang off the bench and through Curry’s shooting, not through a fix to the opening lineup. Until the starters stop putting the Warriors in early holes, Golden State is relying on its reserves to rescue games, and that only works on nights the bench outplays the other team’s this badly.
The Clippers Visit Chase Center on Nov. 1
The Warriors host the Clippers at Chase Center on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 5:30 p.m. Pacific, then play the Suns at home on Monday, Nov. 2. The thing to watch is whether the starting lineup, and Lendeborg in particular, can avoid another slow start going into that back-to-back.
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