Warriors erase 25-point hole as Curry's 31 sink Doncic and the Lakers, 112-95
Stephen Curry scored 31 as the Warriors came back from 25 points down to beat Luka Doncic and the Lakers 112-95 and get back to .500.
The Golden State Warriors trailed the Los Angeles Lakers by 25 points early in the second quarter Friday night at Chase Center. They won by 17. Stephen Curry scored 31, and the 112-95 NBA Cup win pulled Golden State back to 3-3 after an 0-3 start.
ESPN's Anthony Slater reported that no team in the past 30 seasons had come back from 25 down to win by 17 or more. The Associated Press recap, carried by ABC7 San Francisco, said it was the largest winning margin in the shot clock era for a team that trailed by 20 or more after one quarter. The previous mark also belonged to the Warriors, who beat Chicago by 14 in 1976.
Luka Doncic owned the first quarter. He scored 21 points with five 3-pointers, and Golden State's 10 first-period turnovers helped the Lakers build a 38-15 lead. The Warriors then won the second quarter by the same 38-15 score. Georges Niang and De'Anthony Melton hit 3s off the bench, and Curry closed the half with a run of scoring and passing. Melton finished with 16 and Niang with 11. Brandin Podziemski added 21 points and six assists.
The Warriors kept setting screens to force Doncic to switch onto Curry. Midway through the third quarter Curry sent Doncic to the floor with a dribble combination, then hit a 3 over him. Curry made 8 of 14 from deep, according to Bleacher Report's box score. In the fourth quarter he passed Dominique Wilkins for 18th on the NBA's career scoring list. He has 75 points over his last two games, including 44 at Minnesota on Wednesday.
Doncic still finished with 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who had criticized Doncic after the season opener, had six points, five turnovers and fouled out. Steve Kerr was not alarmed by the early hole. "25, you know, it's the new 12," he told reporters, according to ESPN, pointing to how fast and 3-point-heavy the league now plays.
The 17-point margin also counts in the NBA Cup. Sports Illustrated noted that point differential can decide ties for a quarterfinal spot. Golden State leads Group C while the Spurs, Trail Blazers and Kings have yet to play.
What it means for Sunday against the Clippers
The Warriors host the LA Clippers on Sunday, November 1, on a three-game winning streak. Their record is split in half. They lost the first three games by 23 points combined, falling 127-105 in Los Angeles, 111-108 at home to Memphis and 131-122 at Phoenix. They have since won three straight by 62 combined: 134-114 at Denver, 119-114 at Minnesota and now the Lakers.
Over six games Golden State has scored 700 points and allowed 692, about 116.7 per game against 115.3. Their home record is 1-1. The shooting has carried the turnaround, but turnovers have been a recurring problem. The Lakers turned 17 Golden State giveaways into 25 points, and a cleaner start would leave less ground to make up against the Clippers. The Warriors' second home win of the season would put them over .500 for the first time.
