Lakers Vs Warriors: LeBron joins Kobe with 1,000 Lakers 3s as Luka, James power 129-101 win
In the lakers vs warriors matchup Saturday at Chase Center, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 129-101, snapping a three-game skid and featuring LeBron James' 1, 000th three-pointer with the franchise. The victory was marked by a big early lead, a birthday outburst from Luka Dončić and a host of absences on the Warriors side.
Lakers Vs Warriors: LeBron's milestone and hot start
LeBron James, 41 years old, began the game by making his first four 3-point attempts and reached the 1, 000 three-pointers made as a Laker, becoming only the second player in franchise history to do so alongside Kobe Bryant. James finished the night with 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in 28 minutes; he entered the break with a game-high 20 points. The milestone sits within larger career totals that include 2, 618 career 3-pointers and 1, 251 made with the Cleveland Cavaliers. James has remained healthy after missing the first 14 games of the season with sciatica, is in his eighth season with the Lakers since joining the team in 2018, and his contract is set to expire at the end of the 2025-26 campaign in his record-breaking 23rd season in the league.
Luka Dončić's birthday burst and bench scoring
Luka Dončić, who turned 27 years old Saturday, knocked down four triples early in the third quarter and finished with 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds in 29 minutes. Austin Reaves added 18 points in 28 minutes. Off the bench, Luke Kennard scored 16 points, his best with the Lakers so far, and Jake LaRavia provided 15 points off the bench.
How the Lakers built control: big leads and efficient shooting
The Lakers built a 17-point lead in the first quarter, stretched it to 24 in the second quarter and to 30 points in the third before leading by 32 in the fourth and coasting the rest of the way. The 129-101 final was produced at Chase Center in San Francisco, and the Lakers improved to 35-24 while the Warriors fell to 31-29. As a team, Los Angeles shot 19 of 41 from 3-point range in one account of the game and was credited with 53% from the field and 46% from three-point range in another recounting of the box score for the night.
Warriors absences and Curry's update
Golden State struggled without several regular contributors. Stephen Curry was listed as still nursing a right knee injury and Kristaps Porziņģis was out due to "illness. " One recitation of unavailable players additionally named Jimmy Butler with right anterior cruciate ligament surgery. With those absences, the Warriors dug themselves a double-digit hole in the first quarter and could not keep pace. During a mid-game interview, Curry told Malika Andrews that he was "feeling better" but called the situation "a weird one, " saying it was "kind of unpredictable how it would heal" and that progress had come every day since All-Star week. He said he had not yet gotten on the court, that a reevaluation would push the return "a little longer, " and described a return as involving strengthening surrounding parts of his body and managing pain tolerance so the issue would not linger and risk getting worse.
Coach and player reactions, season context and what's next
Coach JJ Redick said the win reflected a push to regain "that consistent level of playing the right way on both ends" and noted ball movement and timely shooting. He pointed out that "LeBron made a couple of iso threes" and that Luka "got hot to start the third quarter with some set plays and then the iso three. " James said, "We just needed to get a win... get back on the right front and I think we did that tonight, " adding that it had been a while since the team sustained effort for a full 48 minutes. The Lakers had been 2-3 since the All-Star break and had dropped a game to an injury-depleted Phoenix Suns team on Thursday; in that Suns game, Royce O'Neale made a winning three-pointer with less than a second left. The Lakers will face the Sacramento Kings at Crypto. com Arena on Sunday night as they try to remain in the top six in the Western Conference.
Franchise 3-point rankings highlighted by milestone
The milestone put the franchise list of most 3-pointers in clearer relief: Kobe Bryant leads with 1, 827 made three-pointers, LeBron James is listed with 1, 002 as a Laker, Derek Fisher has 846, Nick Van Exel 750 and Byron Scott 595.
