The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 119-103 as Stephen Curry was sidelined on Thursday night.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 26 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds, while shooting 11 for 17 from the field.
Deandre Ayton added 21 points and five rebounds and Jake LaRavia contributed 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
James exited briefly after appearing to jam his hand blocking a shot by Pat Spencer with 6:05 remaining in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, Curry sat out the front end of a home-road back-to-back in what is always a highly anticipated matchup, as it was Golden State’s final scheduled game at Chase Center, given the team is headed on the road for the play-in tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference.
The three-point king had played the previous two contests in his return from a 27-game absence spanning two-plus months due to a right knee injury.
Golden was not risking him playing consecutive nights.
Brandin Podziemski and Nate Williams scored 17 points each to lead the Warriors, while newly signed center Charles Bassey had 12 points and 13 rebounds. Spencer added 12 points, six assists, and four boards.
Unfortunately, Warriors’ LJ Cryer limped off with 8:16 left in the game after grabbing his right ankle.
With some good news for Golden State, they expect to get some reinforcements on Friday at Sacramento, with big men Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.
Both teams will play on Friday night: the Lakers host the Suns, while the Warriors visit Sacramento.
