Klay Thompson capped his 33-point performance, a season high, with three late 3-pointers and LeBron James couldn’t take advantage of three free throws that could have tied the game in the final seconds as the Golden State Warriors outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers 117-115 on Saturday night in San Francisco.
Seeking to end a two-game losing streak, the Lakers blew a late six-point lead, then got a final chance to tie when, down 117-114, James was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left.
But James, who began the game hitting 75.3 percent from the foul line and had missed two of his first six of the night from the line, failed to convert the first of his three before making the second.
The veteran intentionally missed the third, and when the Warriors slapped the ball away from the basket, the Lakers never got another shot.
Thompson, who scored 10 more points than he had in a game after his late start this season, went 5-for-9 on 3-pointers.
Three of his treys came in a flurry that began after an Austin Reaves layup had given the Lakers, who trailed by as many as 15 in the second quarter, a 109-103 lead with 3:47 to play.
Thompson’s second of those bombs tied the game at 109-all, and shortly thereafter bombed in a third for a 115-113 advantage with 1:35 to go.
The Lakers had ample opportunity to make up the deficit thereafter, and did get within one when Anthony Davis made a free throw with 1:12 to go.
But Davis missed the second foul shot with a chance to tie, and Russell Westbrook and James missed tip-in attempts.
Stephen Curry made it a three-point game with a short jumper at the 46.2-second mark, and the Lakers never caught up.
Curry finished with 24 points for the Warriors despite missing seven of his eight 3-point attempts. He did add eight assists.
Andrew Wiggins chipped in with 19 points, Jonathan Kuminga 18, Jordan Poole 11 and Kevon Looney with a team-high 12 rebounds for Golden State, which snapped a two-game losing streak, which matched its longest of the season.
James complemented his team-high 26 points with a game-high 15 rebounds and eight assists. The Lakers have dropped both meetings to Golden State this season.
Westbrook had 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Talen Horton-Tucker added 17 points, Davis 16, Reaves 13 and Malik Monk 12.
–Field Level Media
