The Warriors’ 112-95 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at Chase Center was one of the wildest rides in modern NBA history.
In their third consecutive win, the Warriors erased a 25-point first-half deficit and prevailed by 17, setting the NBA’s shot-clock era (1954) record for the largest margin of victory after trailing by 20-plus points in the first quarter (h/t to the Associated Press’ Josh Dubow).
The 1975-76 Warriors, led by Rick Barry, Phil Smith and Jamaal Wilkes, previously held the record with a 14-point win over the Chicago Bulls on March 4, 1976.
On Friday, Luka Doncic was on a mission to send a message to Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, and the Lakers star did that, dropping 21 first-quarter points to pace Los Angeles to a staggering 38-15 lead after the first 12 minutes.
But the Warriors flipped the script — literally — in the second quarter, responding with their own 38-15 quarter, sending the game to halftime tied at 53.
In the second half, Steph Curry and the Warriors clamped down on the Lakers, outscoring them 59-42 to run away with a blowout win, an outcome that seemed impossible after the first quarter.
“Luka had an unbelievable first quarter,” Curry told reporters after the game. “He looked very determined coming into the night. Our offense got stagnant, turnovers the first four or five minutes were just deflating. But we had a lot of chatter at the end of the first quarter about how we were supposed to respond, and it was kind of cool to see the second unit, and just the overall execution on both ends in the second quarter.
“We turned them over a good amount, got in transition, got better spacing so we could move the ball and get open threes, and a couple shots started to go to flip the score like we did at the half and hold them under 95 after a 38-point first quarter is pretty impressive from everybody.”
The Warriors look to keep the momentum going when they host the 1-4 LA Clippers on Sunday at Chase Center.
Dub Nation’s blood pressure might appreciate an easier path to victory.
