LeBron James, Anthony Davis lead Lakers past Steph Curry’s Warriors

There are few things in basketball history as exciting and memorable as watching Steph Curry and LeBron James battle it out. And even as their careers head toward a conclusion, that NBA truism hasn’t changed. Curry and James battled again Saturday night when the Golden State Warriors hosted Los Angeles Lakers in the second game of the season for the teams.

The match lived up to the hype, with all-time greats each putting on a show in the first half. But it was James, not Curry, who sustained his performance in the second half; and it was the Lakers, not the Warriors, who sustained their performance in the second half, with Los Angeles handling Golden State in a 118-109 loss.

The teams went back and forth through the first 24 minutes, changing the lead a total of 14 times. Golden State’s defensive energy and effort was impressive, though James and fellow star Anthony Davis were able to prove that the saying “great offense beats great defense” still holds true. While it was a smooth first quarter for both teams, with LA leading 27-26 when the buzzer sounded, the offense began to flow more smoothly in the second quarter. It was all offensive early, with highlights and ball movement galore, and neither team was able to build a big lead. James and Davis went into superstar mode in the final minute, but a Moses Moody three cut the Lakers’ lead to just one point at halftime.

But it slowly began to fall apart in the third quarter. An early 8-0 run by the Lakers gave them a six-point lead, and back-to-back threes by Max Christie pushed the lead to 12 points at the halfway point. The Warriors didn’t go down without a fight, with Moody and Quinten Post going toe-to-toe late in the quarter to make things interesting. Andrew Wiggins hit a step back three at the buzzer and the Dubs trailed just 89-83 heading into the final frame.

They couldn’t close the distance, hard. The Lakers quickly pushed the lead back to double digits and the Warriors never really made it a game after that. Back-to-back threes by Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield pulled the Warriors within nine points with about four minutes left, but James, Davis and the Lakers had an immediate answer.

Ultimately, the Warriors just ran out of star power, something they already lacked against the Lakers as Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga remain on the sidelines. Curry leaked oil in the second half, missing all eight of his shots and not scoring a single point. James and Davis, on the other hand, only seemed to get stronger as they smelled blood in the water, pushing Los Angeles to victory.

Davis — who couldn’t be contained by Post, Trayce Jackson-Davis or Kevon Looney — finished with 36 points and 13 rebounds, while James had 25 points and 12 assists. That was in stark contrast to Curry, who finished with just 13 points and nine assists and shot a dismal 4-for-17 from the field. Wiggins paced the Warriors with 20 points, while Podziemski, playing in just his second game back from a month-long injury layoff, had 17. Moody, Hield, Dennis Schröder and Gary Payton II also finished in double figures, but the Warriors shot just 46.6% from the field compared to 54.7% for the Lakers.

Golden State fell back below .500 with a 22-23 record. They play the third game of their six-game homestand on Tuesday when they host the Utah Jazz at 19:00 PT.