Golden State star Stephen Curry scores over Lakers star LeBron James, left, and forward Dorian Finney-Smith in the first half of the Warriors’ 123-116 win Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers couldn’t miss. And then they couldn’t make anything.
Eleven times in a row they got a mismatch they liked and found themselves in spots on the court they wanted, only to see their shots fail.
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For the first four minutes, the Lakers’ offense was perfect. For the next eight, it was problematic.
For the first time in a long time since the Lakers traded for Luka Doncic, his magic disappeared, the team’s offensive engine frustrated by a combination of Golden State’s defense, wasted offensive opportunities and whistles that didn’t come.
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The tone had been set, the Lakers playing a big game against Golden State without the necessary rhythm, without the necessary toughness, without the necessary smarts.
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The first-quarter famine meant the Lakers had to play from behind, only briefly getting within striking distance of the lead before losing 123-116 on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
Things got better in the second half, but the hole was too big and the momentum too fleeting.
It wasn’t for lack of fight — the Lakers have had plenty all season. They got within five points in the final five minutes and within five in the final 60 seconds, but never within a single possession.
Lakers star LeBron James, left, steals the ball from Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler in the closing seconds Thursday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
A wild scramble after a Golden State turnover could’ve cut it to one possession, but the Lakers turned over the ball.
It was the story all night. Whenever the Lakers briefly flurried, disaster was there to strike.
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Brandin Podziemski, who scored 19 points in the first half, stole the briefest sliver of momentum by making a running half-court shot to end the second quarter.
With the Lakers (46-30) putting some positive possessions together at the end of the third, Austin Reaves got caught reaching in on Stephen Curry and sent him to the line for three free throws.
“I thought we still did a good job trying to fight out of those situations,” Reaves said. “It’s just, we didn’t have enough time to get it all back.”
In between all of it, the Lakers spent plenty of energy directed at the officials, some with good cause. The team used and won a pair of challenges but had none left by the third quarter, leaving it helpless when a replay showed Curry, not the Lakers, kicked the ball out of bounds. Instead of a turnover, Curry scored on a layup on the next possession.
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The Lakers often overreacted to missed calls, missed shots and missed chances.
The game also offered an interesting look at where the teams stand with just six games left in the regular season, the Lakers unable to solve Golden State (45-31) and its defense in the first meeting since both rosters were overhauled.
Curry finished with 37 points on 10-for-21 shooting and Podziemski had 28 points and eight rebounds. Jimmy Butler had 11 points.
In the tightly contested West playoff picture, the teams could end up meeting in the first round. If the season ended Thursday, the Lakers and the Warriors would be the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds, respectively.
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“That’s part of the process of becoming a really good team. You gotta go through those up-and-down battles of going through situations where you have to figure it out,” Reaves said. “If everything is always smooth sailing, if at any point in the future it doesn’t get there, if it’s a little rocky, then you don’t know what to turn to. Once you go through things like this, you have to adapt and adjust. And that’s what we’ll do.”
LeBron James scored 33 points and Reaves had 31, but Doncic made just six of 17 from the field for 19 points. It was Doncic’s worst-scoring game since Feb. 25 and his first without a three-pointer since the 2022-23 season.
“That performance from me is unacceptable,” Doncic said.
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Doncic banged his left elbow late in the Lakers’ win Monday against Houston but said it wasn’t a factor in his play.
“It’s fine. That’s my left so it’s fine,” Doncic said. “I shoot them with the right.”
The Lakers host New Orleans on Friday night before playing their next three games on the road, including two against the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
