Oakland, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Klay Thompson poured in a career-high 41
points, Stephen Curry scored 31 and the Golden State Warriors rolled to a
127-104 win over Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
Bryant scored 28 points, including 19 in an electric third quarter, but the
Lakers fell to 0-4 for the first time in 57 years.
Harrison Barnes added 15 points for the Warriors in their home opener and
Curry finished with 10 assists.
Jordan Hill scored 23 for the Lakers and Wesley Johnson had 15 points. They
are 0-4 for the first time since the Minneapolis Lakers started the 1957-58
season 0-7.
Bryant, after missing all but six games last season because of Achilles and
knee injuries, has averaged 24.6 points so far this season.
Showing a hot hand, he made nine of his 14 shot attempts in the third quarter,
with only two of those misses coming inside the 3-point line.
Early in the period, Bryant used a spin move in the paint to knock down a high
floater over Barnes despite being fouled. Later, he drained a fadeaway over
Thompson and Draymond Green near the right sideline.
Bryant produced a highlight earlier in the game that went viral on social
media.
Crossing over Shaun Livingston with a between-the-legs dribble on the high
right side, Bryant drove the paint and got off a reverse scoop shot despite a
hard foul by Festus Ezeli.
The ball bounced off the rim, then the backboard, then the rim again before
dropping in as Bryant looked up from the floor.
But the Lakers, who had a 35-29 lead after the first quarter, trailed 61-55 at
halftime. Curry had 20 points in the half and Thompson scored 13. Thompson had
15 in the third quarter to help offset Bryant’s 19 and Golden State upped its
lead to 93-86 going into the fourth, pulling away after that.
Game Notes
Ed Davis had 13 points off the bench for LA … The Lakers are home against
Phoenix on Tuesday … The Warriors are back on the road to play Portland on
Sunday.
