Stephen Curry Leads Warriors Comeback Over Lakers

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors dug out of a 25-point hole and buried the Los Angeles Lakers 112-95 on Friday night at Chase Center. Curry poured in 31 points with eight 3-pointers, and the Warriors got their payback for the blowout loss in LA in the season opener.

This was an NBA Cup game, so it counted twice. And for a Warriors team that is now 3-3, beating Luka Doncic after spotting him a monster first quarter is the kind of night that can flip a season's mood.

A Wild First Half

Doncic looked unstoppable early. He had 21 points on 7 of 12 shooting with five 3s in the first quarter alone, and the Lakers led 38-15 after one quarter. Golden State had 10 turnovers in that quarter, and it looked like a repeat of opening night.

Then the Warriors flipped it. They won the second quarter by the same 38-15 score and went into the half tied. Golden State became the first team in the shot clock era, playoffs included, to trail by 23 or more after one quarter and be tied or better at halftime. The final 17-point margin was also the largest win in the shot clock era for a team that trailed by 20 or more after the first quarter.

Curry Gets the Last Word

The third quarter turned into a shootout between the two stars. Curry hit a 3 over Doncic midway through the period, and Doncic answered right back from deep on the other end. Doncic picked up a technical late in the third with the crowd booing him, and Matisse Thybulle got one in the fourth as the Lakers came apart.

Curry finished 8 of 14 from deep and added six assists. Along the way he passed Dominique Wilkins for 18th place on the NBA's all time scoring list. Brandin Podziemski added 21 points, and De'Anthony Melton gave the Warriors 16 off the bench.

Doncic still finished with 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The problem was everything after the first quarter, when the Lakers simply could not keep pace.

What Comes Next

The Warriors (3-3) host the Clippers on Sunday night, while the Lakers (4-2) host the Raptors on Sunday night. Golden State's 17 turnovers turned into 25 Lakers points, so cleaning that up is the obvious fix before the Clippers come to town.

My Smacktok lean: go higher on Curry's made 3s against the Clippers. He took 14 of them Friday and is clearly the first, second and third option when Golden State needs a run.

Last week the Lakers embarrassed this team. Friday the Warriors answered with one of the great comebacks of the shot clock era, and Curry was right in the middle of it.