Saturday night in Los Angeles, two of the game's all-time greatest superstars put on a show for all to see.
LeBron James and Steph Curry, the two best players of their generation, have had it tough this season as both of their teams have struggled to maintain rhythm, health, and consistency. The Lakers headed into Saturday's matchup with a 23-23 record, while the Warriors did stood at 19-23. Both, however, delivered a classic that thus far was the best game of the 2023-2024 season. In two overtimes, the Lakers prevailed 145-144.
James, putting on a performance for the ages, scored 36 points (14-of-20 from the field) and had 20 rebounds and 12 assists. He became just the third Laker in history to have a game of 30/20 (Elgin Baylor and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the others), and provided the first 30/20 game for the franchise since Abdul-Jabbar in 1976.
With under 1:30 to go in the second overtime, Curry hit a step-back three to put his team up 141-139. With 53 seconds remaining, the Lakers' D'Angelo Russell, redeeming himself after two recent turnovers where he was careless with the basketball, nailed a pull-up, transition three. After Austin Reaves made one-of-two free throws on an ensuing Laker possession, Curry hit another three. 144-143 Warriors with 5.2 seconds to go. Laker timeout.
James, driving to the basket, was fouled by Draymond Green with one second on the clock. James calmly connected on both, and a last second heave from Curry from three quarter court (the Warriors had no remaining timeouts) went after the buzzer.
The entire game delivered on all that was promised, with the stars putting forth the type of performances that you would want in a prime time game. Curry, on 17-of-35, made nine of 21 attempts from beyond the arc, finishing with 46 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds. Klay Thompson added 24, while Andrew Wiggins - maligned this season for his poor play at times - scored 22, as did Jonathan Kuminga. Laker star Anthony Davis added 29 points and 13 rebounds on 11-of-24 shooting, while Russell scored 28. Reaves scored 17, while Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura managed double figures off the bench with 14 points and 11 points, respectively.
The Warriors are currently 12th in the Western Conference, three games back of the Utah Jazz who are in the final play-in seed, 10th. The Lakers, currently ninth in the west, have an identical record to the Jazz.
The Warriors have struggled with injuries all season, with Gary Payton II out an additional week before he will be re-evaluated, and Moses Moody currently slated to be re-evaluated this week. The biggest key for the Warriors to get healthy and see if they can get into the play-in. The Lakers, meanwhile, despite floating around the .500 mark, figure to be there at the end of the season in the mix in the difficult Western Conference.
The Lakers visit the Houston Rockets on Monday night, while the Warriors host the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 10 p.m. on TNT.
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