That was a wild one. The Warriors weathered a late push from the Lakers and escaped with a 123-116 win, tightening the Western Conference standings with just days left in the regular season.
Once again, Steph Curry was electric. Fresh off a 52-point explosion in Memphis, he poured in 37 more, hitting 10 of 21 from the field and a season-high 13 free throws. Draymond Green came up clutch too, swatting away a Luka Dončić drive in the final minute and surviving a turnover that could have swung the game.
For the Lakers, LeBron James came alive in the second half, dropping 25 of his 33 points after halftime while burying five threes. Austin Reaves had the night of his life, splashing a career-high nine triples en route to 31 points. Rui Hachimura added 24, but Dončić struggled mightily, going 0-for-6 from deep. Worse, the Lakers' bench was overwhelmed, outscored 18-7 by Jonathan Kuminga alone.
Despite the loss, L.A. still owns the season series 3-1, giving them the head-to-head tiebreaker over Golden State. But the Dubs' win keeps the seeding race chaotic heading into the season’s final stretch.
And there’s no time to breathe. The Warriors host the top-seeded Nuggets on Friday before facing the Rockets on Sunday. The Lakers, meanwhile, continue their back-to-back against the Pelicans before heading to OKC for two showdowns with the conference-leading Thunder.
Should these teams hold onto the 4 and 5 seeds, this could be a first-round playoff battle waiting to happen. If so, get ready for fireworks.