LOS ANGELES — As it has been throughout the Curry era in Golden State, when Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are knocking down shots, the Warriors are next to unbeatable.
As it has been in the LeBron era in Los Angeles, the Lakers’ defense is a disaster when Anthony Davis is not on the court.
Those two realities came together Tuesday night in Los Angeles, and now the Warriors control their own destiny in the play-in race and the Lakers need help to avoid being the No. 10 seed. Golden State picked up a comfortable 134-120 win.
The Warriors could not seem to miss, making 26 3-pointers on 63.4% shooting from deep, statistically the greatest 3-point shooting game in NBA history (no team ever had that many made 3s while shooting that high a percentage). Thompson scored 27 with five 3-pointers, Draymond Green hit his first five 3-point attempts on his way to 15 points (and 10 assists), and Stephen Curry scored 23 and was 6-of-6 from beyond the arc.
“That was the game, basically, because I didn’t feel like we played that well, but we made a million threes and so the ball was going in…" Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I mean Draymond going 5-of-5 (from 3) in a half, you don’t see that often. Everybody got going and to shoot whatever 63% from 3 that’s crazy.”
It was a vintage Warriors offensive game, with ball and player movement and plenty of drive-and-kick plays that had the Lakers’ defense scrambling.
“It’s different when it’s AD out there, he covers so many mistakes or getting in front of things, so it’s a totally different look,” Draymond Green said.
The Warriors are hitting their stride and playing their best basketball at the right time — and this win helped them control their own destiny. If the Warriors win out in their final three games (at the Trail Blazers, hosting the Pelicans, then the Jazz) they can finish no lower than ninth (Golden State has the series tiebreaker with the Lakers). If the Warriors win out those three games and the Kings stumble with a couple more losses, Golden State could move up to No. 8 and avoid the back-end of the play-in (and a rematch with the Lakers to start it). Most likely, Tuesday night was a preview of next week’s West 9/10 Play-In matchup.
Wherever they finish, the Warriors enter the postseason confident they can make a run.
“I think so. I think in the last like 36 games we might be 25-and-11,” Thompson said, and he was spot on with that stat…
“It’d be nice to get to eight, but if we don’t it’s not the end of the world. At the end of the day we got to do we got to play whoever’s in front of us. And we take a lot of motivation from the Heat last year who, I think, had to play two Play-in games and made a run all the way to the Finals. So, I think we’re capable of a run like that.”
“We’ve kept that same sentiment all along, just about what we feel this team is capable of,” Green added. “At times this year it hasn’t always come together for us, but we feel like it’s coming together at the right time. We’ve always felt like if we get a chance, we know what it takes.”
The Lakers could use some of that confidence. While Los Angeles is 15-9 since the All-Star break, its losses have been backbreakers in the standings because many were to teams the Lakers are battling for postseason positioning — two to the Warriors, two to the Kings, one to the Timberwolves and one to the Suns.
“We know we’re as good as any team in the league when we’re whole — and when we’re not, we’re not,” James said, his voice trailing off. “It’s hard for us to make up, especially having a guy like AD not playing. It’s almost pretty much impossible to make up for what he provides for our ballclub, both offensively and defensively.”
The Lakers close out the season at the Grizzlies then at the Pelicans on the final day, a game that could have massive postseason seeding implications.
Or they could meet the Warriors in the Play-in, a rematch of
