Over the past several years, LeBron James versus Stephen Curry has been one of the best marquee matchups the NBA has had to offer. On Saturday evening, these two all-time greats and their respective teams — the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors — met up in San Francisco for a midseason contest that would turn into an instant classic, not to mention a major test of endurance.
The Warriors were somewhat hot to start the game, but the Lakers were able to take a modest early lead behind their fast break. The Lakers had 15 fast-break points in the first quarter, and they rode that momentum to a 68-63 lead at halftime.
Los Angeles fell behind by 15 points midway through the third period, but it then scored 14 unanswered points, only to fall behind by eight points at the end of the quarter. Down the stretch, with the game on the line, the Purple and Gold scored 12 unanswered points to retake the lead, but Stephen Curry got past Anthony Davis off the dribble to score the basket that tied the game at 118-all and forced overtime. There, they went ahead by four before 3-pointers by Curry and Klay Thompson forced a second extra session.
In the second overtime, both teams traded haymakers once again. It seemed like the team that got off the last real shot attempt would win, and in the end, the Lakers survived, 145-144.
This was a gut-check game for the Purple and Gold against the team they knocked out of the Western Conference semifinals last spring. Both teams were understandably tired down the stretch, but it didn’t affect the quality of play, and L.A. rose to the occasion under pressure for one of the few times this season.
It had to outlast a vintage 46-point outing from Curry in order to get its 24th win over the season and move to one game over .500. While the Lakers got outscored by 42 points in 3-pointers, they had a big advantage at the free throw line — they went 38-of-43 from the foul line while Golden State was 11-of-16.
Anthony Davis: B-plus/A-minus
Davis had 15 points on hot shooting in the first half. But midway through the third quarter, he appeared to suffer a lower-body injury when Draymond Green made contact with him and had to come out of the game. He returned early in the fourth quarter, and it was reported that he suffered hip spasms, something he had dealt with earlier in the season.
Although he shot poorly from that point on, his rebounding helped the Lakers compete. He grabbed 13 boards on the night, to go along with 29 points, although he shot 4-of-12 after returning from his injury. Davis also blocked four shots and added three assists, and he hit three free throws in the final 29 seconds of regulation to help force overtime.
Taurean Prince: D-minus
Prince’s hot shooting this season didn’t make the trip to the Bay Area. He missed his only two shot attempts and went scoreless, and his only positive contributions were three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
He played just 24 minutes (he came into this game averaging 30.7 minutes a game), and in crunch time, he barely played. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has been criticized by some fans for playing Prince too much, especially given his defensive shortcomings, but Ham instead went away from Prince on this night.
Austin Reaves: D-plus
Reaves went back to struggling with his shot on Saturday. He went just 4-of-14 overall and 1-of-7 from 3-point range while committing five turnovers, although he did convert a key fast-break layup late in the first overtime to put L.A. ahead 128-124.
He also did do a good job of getting to the free throw line. Reaves converted all but one of his nine foul shot attempts, and it was a welcome sign, as his free throw attempts have been down this season compared to last season. He also helped out with six assists, two rebounds and two steals.
D'Angelo Russell: B-plus
Russell made only one of his first seven shots, but he got going in the second half, and he scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to help L.A. come from behind. Near the end of the first overtime, he hit two free throws to give his team a three-point cushion, which proved to be valuable, as Thompson then hit a trey to force a second overtime.
While Russell committed two costly turnovers in the second overtime, he quickly answered with a transition 3-pointer and a big offensive rebound to help the Lakers win.
Overall, he had 28 points, five assists, three rebounds, two steals and one block in 49 minutes. After halftime, he shot 7-of-12 overall and 5-of-6 from downtown to propel the Lakers to this victory.
LeBron James: A-plus
James scored the Lakers’ last seven points of the first half in a span of just under a minute to put them ahead and give him a team-high 18 points at intermission. He shot just 2-of-8 in the third and fourth quarters, but he led the way in both extra periods by shooting 5-of-7. With 4.1 seconds left in the second overtime, James took the ball to the hoop, got fouled and made both ensuing free throws to provide the final margin of victory.
He also had 12 assists, with a couple of them being of the highlight variety, plus 20 rebounds and a total of 36 efficient points in 48 tiring minutes. In doing so, he became the oldest player in NBA history to have a 30-point triple-double.
This was quite simply a memorable, vintage performance from one of the greatest players in the history of basketball.
Jarred Vanderbilt: A
It has taken him some time to get fully back into game shape after he missed the first several weeks of the season with heel bursitis, but Vanderbilt was seemingly everywhere on Saturday. His impact was felt early, as his defense and overall activity supercharged L.A.’s transition game.
He had a lovely alley-oop pass to Davis for a dunk, which was just one of five assists for him. He scored 14 points, making it the fourth time in the last five games he has scored in double figures, while also grabbing nine rebounds and coming up with four steals in 41 minutes.
One sign of Vanderbilt’s impact and improved fitness and stamina was the fact that he was consistently on the floor in the fourth quarter and in both overtimes. His minutes have been slowly increasing lately, and this game was proof that he can play heavy minutes while consistently making a positive impact in multiple areas, including on offense.
Rui Hachimura: A
Hachimura’s offense has been somewhat inconsistent, but on Saturday, he hit all four of his shot attempts, including a 3-pointer, and both of his foul shots to score 11 points. He also chipped in four rebounds in 18 minutes, and for the third game in a row, he reached double figures in scoring.
Christian Wood: B
In 11 minutes, Wood got only one rebound, but he helped out offensively by shooting 3-of-4 from the field and scoring eight points. In the month of January, he’s now averaging 8.3 points in 16.5 minutes a game, and while his 3-point shooting continues to be inconsistent, he’s starting to make a consistent contribution for L.A.
Max Christie: B-minus
Christie played eight minutes and had a strong finish at the rim off a pass from James shortly after entering the game. That basket was his only contribution against the Warriors.
