Golden State Warriors 112, Los Angeles Lakers 95: a 38-15 second quarter flipped it

The Warriors trailed by 25 and finished 17 ahead. A 38-15 second quarter wiped out a 38-15 first, and Golden State outscored the Lakers 59-42 after halftime to win 112-95 at Chase Center on Friday.

The difference was the three-point line. Golden State made 22 of 46. Los Angeles made 11 of 39. That is 66 points to 33 from deep, enough to cover a Lakers edge in the paint and at the free-throw line.

The win was Golden State's third straight after an 0-3 start and evens its record at 3-3. It also answers the 127-105 loss in Los Angeles that opened the season. The Lakers fall to 4-2.

How it was won

The first quarter was all Los Angeles. The Lakers scored 38 to Golden State's 15, and their lead reached 25.

The second quarter was the exact reverse. Golden State put up 38 and held the Lakers to 15, and the teams went to halftime level at 53.

The Warriors kept pushing in the third, winning it 32-27 to lead 85-80. The fourth settled it: 27-15 Golden State, and the final margin of 17 was also its largest lead of the night.

Stephen Curry led with 31 points, going 8 of 14 from three, with 6 assists and 4 rebounds. Brandin Podziemski added 21 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, making 4 of 9 threes. De'Anthony Melton scored 16 on 4-of-6 shooting from three, with 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

The ball moved. Golden State had 31 assists on 38 field goals; the Lakers had 18 on 33. Los Angeles also turned it over 22 times to Golden State's 17.

Luka Doncic did what he could: 37 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, with 6 of 16 from three. Austin Reaves scored 21 but made 1 of 6 threes, and Jake LaRavia added 10. Beyond Doncic, the Lakers shot 5 of 23 from deep.

Los Angeles won the paint 36-28 and the free-throw line 18-24 against 14-17, and the rebounding was nearly even at 45-44. None of it outweighed 33 extra points from three.

Against the number

The Lakers closed as 2.5-point favorites, so Golden State covered and won outright. The Warriors closed at +124 on the moneyline, with the Lakers at -148.

The total closed at 234.5. The teams combined for 207, so the under landed by 27.5 points. Two quarters of 15 for the Lakers did most of that work, and Los Angeles scored 42 after halftime.

The early lead flattered the Lakers. Anyone holding Golden State at the open had to sit through a 25-point deficit before the second quarter turned it.

Full closing prices are on the game page.

What's next

Golden State stays home and hosts the LA Clippers on Sunday, November 1, on NBA League Pass and ClipperVision. The questions are whether the three-point volume holds and whether the Warriors can avoid another slow first quarter.

The Lakers' next game was not part of the information available to us. Their schedule is on the team page.