Lakers Vs Warriors: LeBron reaches 1,000 Lakers 3s as Los Angeles routs Golden State
LeBron James started hot and crossed the 1, 000 mark for three-pointers with the Lakers in a 129-101 road win over the Warriors, a lakers vs warriors outing that snapped Los Angeles’s three-game skid and pushed the team back toward the top of the Western Conference race. The victory featured milestone scoring, a birthday barrage from Luka Dončić and a dominant team shooting night.
Lakers Vs Warriors at Chase Center
The Lakers built the lead early and never looked back at Chase Center, opening a 17-point advantage in the first quarter, extending it to 24 in the second, 30 in the third and 32 in the fourth. The 129-101 final left Golden State with a 31-29 record and the Lakers at 35-24. The Warriors dug themselves a double-digit hole in the first quarter and could not recover.
LeBron’s milestone and stat line
LeBron James, 41, made his first four 3-point attempts and recorded four first-half threes — the most he’s had in a single half this season. He entered halftime with a game-high 20 points and finished with 22 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds in 28 minutes. The game marked the moment he became the second player in franchise history to reach 1, 000 made 3-pointers with the Lakers, joining Kobe Bryant; a franchise list in the coverage placed James at 1, 002 Lakers 3-pointers. Across his career, James has made 2, 618 three-pointers, including 1, 251 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. James missed the first 14 games of the season with sciatica, is in his eighth season with the Lakers after joining the club in 2018, and his contract is set to expire at the end of the 2025-26 campaign during his record-breaking 23rd season in the league.
Dončić’s birthday barrage and supporting cast
Luka Dončić, who turned 27 on Saturday, knocked down four triples early in the third quarter and finished with 26 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in 29 minutes. Austin Reaves added 18 points in 28 minutes. Luke Kennard scored 16 points — his best total with the Lakers so far — and Jake LaRavia supplied 15 points off the bench. The Lakers shot 53% from the field and 46% from three-point range as a team, and another tally showed the club went 19 of 41 from long range in the game.
Warriors absences and Curry’s condition
The Warriors played without Stephen Curry (right knee) and Kristaps Porziņģis (illness), and one report in the postgame coverage also noted Jimmy Butler was out with right anterior cruciate ligament surgery. Stephen Curry, speaking in a midgame interview, said, "I'm feeling better. This is a weird one. It's kind of unpredictable how it would heal, but every day since All-Star week has been progress. That's all I can ask for, and hopefully I'm back out [there] soon. " When asked about being reevaluated on Sunday, Curry added, "it's going to be a little longer" before he returns and noted, "I haven't gotten on the court yet. "
Coach and player reactions
Lakers coach JJ Redick called it "definitely our most complete game post-All-Star break, " saying the team found a more consistent level of execution on both ends. LeBron said, "We just needed to get a win... get back on the right front and I think we did that tonight, " and added that it had been a while since the team sustained effort for a full 48 minutes. The Lakers are 2-3 since the All-Star break and had been searching for continuity and togetherness after three straight losses.
What happened elsewhere and what’s next
The coverage noted another game where the Lakers overcame a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter only for Royce O’Neale to make a winning three-pointer with less than a second left in the Suns’ victory. The Lakers will try to carry this win into their next outing: they face the Sacramento Kings at Crypto. com Arena on Sunday night as they try to remain in the top six in the Western Conference. Stephen Curry said he would be reevaluated on Sunday, and the team will assess injuries and availability going into that next window.
