Of course, the Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles
Lakers. Golden State, already eliminated from playoff contention,
has nothing to lose. The Warriors can play loosey-goosey while
their opponents, who are still jockeying for playoff position, have
all the pressure. That explains Wednesday night’s 95-87 win over
the Lakers, right? That explains how the Warriors basically
dominated a team many think is the best in the Western Conference,
right?
OAKLAND
Of course, the Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers.
Golden State, already eliminated from playoff contention, has nothing to lose. The Warriors can play loosey-goosey while their opponents, who are still jockeying for playoff position, have all the pressure.
That explains Wednesday night’s 95-87 win over the Lakers, right? That explains how the Warriors basically dominated a team many think is the best in the Western Conference, right?
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Warriors forward David Lee is not buying the “no pressure” explanation. He said the Warriors’ three-game win streak, all over playoff-bound teams, is a product of things starting to fall into place for Golden State.
“To me, the pressure is no different,” said Lee, who finished with 22 points, 17 rebounds and five assists. “We’ve been on the outside looking in for the last four months. “These are all big time games. Whether we were going to be in the playoffs or not, this is playoff atmosphere.”
The Warriors, as they did in manhandling host Portland the night before, looked as relaxed as can be down the stretch.
A big reason for the team’s recent success is Lee’s play. His last three games _ against Dallas, Portland and the Lakers _ he’s averaged 22.3 points and 15 rebounds. His chemistry with guard Monta Ellis, who finished with 26 points and six assists, has obviously improved. And his defense is markedly better, just ask Dirk Nowitzk and LaMarcus Aldridge, and even hobbled Lakers big man Pau Gasol, who finished with 18 points and seven rebounds.
Though the Warriors shot it poorly, 38.7 percent for the game, they still were in control most of the night. They held the Lakers to 42.9 percent shooting, despite Kobe Bryant’s 25 points on 10-for-20 shooting. They outrebounded the bigger Lakers, despite center Andrew Bynum’s 13 points and 17 rebounds.
What’s more, the Warriors made more winning plays than the two-time defending NBA champions.
As expected, Bryant led the Lakers on a fourth-quarter run. He converted a three-point play to cut the Warriors’ lead to 88-78. Moments later, he got all the way to the rim for a layup, giving him seven straight Lakers points and cutting the deficit to 90-82 with two minutes left.
Bryant scored 10 points in the final quarter. But the Warriors got the stops they needed, the rebounds they usually don’t get, the baskets they sometimes struggle to find.
“We’re starting to jell a little bit,” Lee said. “Things are starting to fall into place.”
Things fell into place Wednesday night.
Inside a minute left, and the Warriors needing a bucket to seal the victory, point guard Stephen Curry weaved his way through the Lakers defense. He found himself in the paint, only Bynum between him and the basket.
So Curry, who had missed 15 of his first 22 shots, lofted a ceiling-scraping floater over Bynum. All net.
And he made it look easy.
_Finally. It took him 15 shots, but Dorell Wright set the Warriors’ record for 3-pointers made in a season, passing the record set by Jason Richardson. At the 2:12 mark of the third quarter, Wright took a pass from Curry and drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner, his 184th of the season. Before that one, he had missed 14 straight. He tied Richardson’s record of 183 in Saturday’s win over Dallas. He missed his last five attempts in that game, all four of his attempts at Portland on Tuesday, and his first five 3-point tries Wednesday. Wright finished 2-for-8 from 3-point range against the Lakers and now has 185 on the season with four games left.
_Warriors forward Lou Amundson has made 15 of his last 20 free throws. If you ask him about it, he shrugs it off. But considering before this stretch he was shooting 27 percent from the line, it kind of is a big deal. “It’s hard for me to make a big deal out of it because it’s something I should’ve been doing,” he said.
— Story by Marcus Thompson II, Contra Costa Times
