The Golden State Warriors entered the night with plenty working against them, and the first quarter only made things look worse. They fell behind by as many as 25 points, staring at a Lakers team that had come in hot and looked ready to keep rolling. Instead, Golden State flipped the game on its head and walked out with a 112-95 win that nobody saw coming.
What looked like a lost night turned into one of the Warriors’ best performances of the season. Once the Lakers started piling up mistakes, Golden State found the opening and kept pushing until the deficit was gone and the lead was theirs. For a team that had opened the season 2-3 and already taken losses to the Lakers, Grizzlies, and Suns, this was the kind of response that changes the conversation, at least for one night.
Stephen Curry set the tone from the start and finished with an A+ showing: 31 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 11-23 shooting, 8-14 from three, and 1-1 at the line in 30 minutes. With the Warriors dealing with injuries, Curry took on the offense and attacked early, finding gaps in the Lakers’ defense and punishing them with quick threes and sharp passing.
Brandin Podziemski gave Golden State exactly the kind of backcourt support it needed, earning an A with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 1 turnover on 7-15 shooting, including 4-9 from deep, in 33 minutes. He brought energy, stayed active, and made life difficult for Austin Reaves on the perimeter.
The bench also delivered in a big way. De’Anthony Melton got a B+ after posting 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and no blocks on 5-10 shooting, including 4-6 from three, in 20 minutes.
He gave the second unit a needed lift with defense, rebounding, and perimeter scoring. Georges Niang followed with a B, finishing with 11 points and 5 rebounds on 4-5 shooting, including a perfect 3-3 from deep, in 18 minutes.
His shot selection helped fuel a reserve group that outscored the Lakers’ bench by 47 points.
Brandon Williams chipped in too, even if the line wasn’t spotless. He received a B- after scoring 9 points with 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in 16 minutes, while going 2-8 from the floor but a perfect 5-5 at the line. His aggression kept pressure on the Lakers’ reserves.
Draymond Green didn’t score much, but he still shaped the game and earned a C. He had 2 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block in 31 minutes, while handling a lot of the offense from the floor. With Green acting as the offensive coordinator, Curry was able to spend more time off the ball.
Gui Santos started at small forward and got a C-, finishing with 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 turnovers in 16 minutes. He helped on the glass, but otherwise had a quiet night.
Yaxel Lendeborg had the roughest outing of the group, drawing a D after putting up 6 points, 1 rebound, 5 turnovers, and fouling out in the fourth quarter. He finished with a team-worst minus-20 in 24 minutes.
For the Warriors, the win was a reminder that they can still punch back when the game starts slipping away. For the Lakers, the loss stings even more because of how much control they had early.
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Curry said the sequence carried more than just the usual bragging rights, and he also pointed to his motivation to back teammate Yaxel Lendeborg. It was the kind of postgame detail that gives a comeback win a little more texture, especially when it comes against a rival and includes a highlight that will keep circulating long after the final buzzer. [Read more 🡒]