SAN FRANCISCO – Thursday’s game between the host Warriors and visiting Lakers should have been one of the premier matchups of the entire NBA regular season.
It could have been Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porzingis leading the Warriors into their final home game against MVP candidate Luka Doncic and eternal rival LeBron James, with playoff seeding on the line.
Instead, Curry and Butler joined Porzingis and five other teammates on the injury report with “OUT” designations, and James stood alone for the Lakers as both Doncic and Austin Reaves were both lost with regular season-ending injuries.
The Lakers, a half game back of the Rockets and fighting for the No. 3 seed, still had plenty to play for. The Warriors (37-43), trotting out their 41st different starting lineup of the season and locked into the No. 10 seed, simply tried — and failed — to play the role of spoiler in a 119-103 loss.
Brandin Podziemski scored 17 points to lead the Warriors, while Charles Bassey put up 12 points and 13 rebounds to secure his second double-double in a row. Malevy Leons, now able to shoot with his right hand, scored 12 and Nate Williams put up 17 points.
James led the Lakers with 26 points and 11 assists, and Jake LaRavia scored 21 for the purple and gold. Bronny James scored 10 for the Lakers.
The Warriors trailed 53-49 at halftime, with Podziemski throwing in 10 early points and the bench scoring 29 in the first 24 minutes. The Lakers tightened their grip on the game in the third, finishing the period up 82-73 as Ayton and James both carved out space for open shots.
The Warriors’ injury woes became worse with 8:16 left in the fourth quarter, when LJ Cryer appeared to twist his right ankle after making a layup. He put no weight on that leg as he was helped off the floor by team medical personnel.
Steph Curry and Porzingis are both expected to play on Friday in Sacramento, and Al Horford could also make his return from a calf injury after missing a month.