NBA LIVE! Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers | August 16, 2025 | Warriors vs Lakers | 2K
Fantastic group of passers on each side. They’re just so unselfish. They play for one another. You can see how it keeps the whole team involved. And I’ll tell you what, I just love watching teams that can pass like this. Let’s take a look at our starters for the Golden State Warriors. Curry and Pods make up the back court. Green out there with Jimmy Butler. And it’s heel at the small forward position. Defense unable to stop DeAndre Aton that time getting inside and using his frame. Pass to Pajimsky outside Green. Six to shoot. Three-pointer, but Jimsky shot is good. And that’s what they want to do. Get him open looks early. And now we’ll go to Ally Leforce, who had a chance to talk with JJ Reading. He talks about the task of facing Jimmy Butler. The fiery wing coach said, “You can talk about the scouting report all you want with Jimmy, but he brings the extra dimension.” Butler has the attitude that is unmatched in the league. Passion of Jimmy Butler and full focus tonight, Ryan. Thanks for that, Ally. Ah, the classic big man play there, just pushing right past the defense and finishing strong. They set a pick. The three from Curry. Machimura with a rebound. Los Angeles has gone 0 for two from outside. Outside Reeves. Pass to Aiden. Goes up from the top of the key. It’s rebounded by Jimmy Butler. Golden State has gone one of two from three-point land so far. And it’s hammered home by Green. If he can get his steps together, Draymond Green will throw it down. James passes to Aimura outside. Reeves down low. Here’s Eightton. Laid it in with a nice touch off the window. Eightton’s got six. Such a tremendous physical profile that Aton has. He’s getting it done down low. Pass to Curry. Lets the three fly. That shot missing. Well, that’s not a shot he’s ever going to pass up and he shouldn’t. Despite the miss, no defender anywhere near him. He’s got to shoot that one. Donic finds Achimura. Donic on the wing. Donic is doubled. Aimura outside from outside off the mark. And he almost made them regret defending him so loosely. You know, not too many teams have the stability of head coach as the Warriors have had, Bren. Well, I’m not sure there’s ever been a more perfect fit for a team than Steve Kerr with the Golden State Warriors. There’s been a magical run in the Bay Area and you just look at the type of connectivity he has with his players and again how much joy these Warriors play with. Donic good defense was all over Donic. So, he smartly uses a pick to get free to shoot. Back to Curry and first quarter. We’re about three and a half minutes in. The Lakers in the lead. Here’s Reeves from down in the low post. It goes. Always fun to look at. Not tremendously efficient, but the floater. Boy, those sure are pretty. Pass to Pajimski. And there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. You’re not going to fool the officials too often on an illegal screen. Yeah, everybody saw that one. That was pretty blatant there. Los Angeles leading by four. Now here’s Donic. Launches a three. They get it again. And a nice finish on the layup. Payton’s got eight points. And you like the balance here, not just falling in love with the free ball outside heel. Green with a screen on Aimura to the paint to end the run and there’s a whistle. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. And let’s talk about Draymond Green for a moment. Certainly one of the most outspoken players in the league, Brent. Well, Draymond has never held back. whether he’s talking about his opinion or the way that he sees the game, which is remarkable and a revelation to his intelligence as a defender on the floor. Draymond Green has been special on the defensive end throughout his career. Free throw good. Green, you know, Grant, after losing in the first round last season, it felt like changes were inevitable for the Lakers. Yeah, making the playoffs isn’t enough for that franchise. They are all about championship success and anything short of that is a failure. And both free throws good for Green. One thing this Golden State team does very well is control the offensive glass. Brent, well, there’s been a lot of talk analytically, BA, about how advantageous it is to come in and swoop through to grab offensive rebounds. Golden State has bought into that philosophy. They also have guys who take a lot of long shots. So that’s long rebounds with a better chance of gaining an extra possession. So some smart analytical play here from Golden State in the past couple seasons. Green a screen and he didn’t get quite enough under that one. And here’s Donic. He’ll bring it up for Los Angeles. They lead by seven. James, that’s good. Assertive move by LBJ. Just taking what he wants inside. The Warriors have gone just three for seven here at the start. And Steve Kerr calls timeout here. He wants a few moments to regroup with his players. Grant, how about that in season tournament win for the Lakers in 2024. Yeah, honestly, it just makes sense that the first of those trophies would land with a historic franchise like the Lakers. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Lorav is checked in for Aimura. James against heel. Green with a screen on James. Here’s Heel. Rebound by the Lakers. Yeah, my expectations were that he was not going to miss the hoop. He handles that kind of defense, especially on the inside. Pass to James. Offensive rebound on the wing. Reeves. Donic outside. Out to the right wing. Shot clock at five. The Lakers got to get one up. Late clock. Aiden off target. That would have pushed the lead to double digits. Warriors trail by nine and it’s Labraia with a rebound. We’ll have a hard time shaking that one off. Perfect position, plenty of space. Let’s plank it. Well, Grant, even though it looks like LeBron could play forever, he stated that he doesn’t have much time left. Well, it’s unbelievable that he sustained this level of excellence for as long as he has. I would be surprised if we see this type of longevity ever again. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. That free throw misses. Good on the second one. Curry with it. He’s scoreless. Outside heel. Back to Curry. Fires the three and it’s good. First made shot in four attempts. I mean, he’s like a magician how quickly he gets that shot off. Was it ever there? Outside. Reeves fires from deep. The shot is good. Donic making the play. Donic has got three assists now in this one. Warriors trail by 10. Outside heel. Wow. Back to Curry. Puts up a three. Another three for Golden State. Well, the moment that ball went through on the other end, you could see Steph wanting the ball back. And of course, he did it. That’s the answer. Outside. Reeves. Pass to Donic. The fadeaway hits the rim on the way in and the bucket is good. Donic has got five now. He’s a producer. It’s part of their plan to get him as many touches as possible. Now here’s here’s Curry and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got his seventh rebound of the game of that last one. From deep here’s Donic and the Lakers hit again from deep. They’ve shown so much energy right way from the start, particularly on the offensive end. Yeah, if you walked in at any point during this game to watch five minutes of play, one team played harder. We know who that was. And Steve Kerr calls timeout here. He wants to review the game plan. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. And the Lakers making a change here. Vincent’s checked in. The Warriors also with a sub. Moody’s checked in for Stephen Curry. Pass to post. Here’s Moody. Here’s Heel. Check by James to the middle. Gets tipped. Stolen by Aiden. Now here’s Vincent. Defense right on him. Oh, and he took a hard foul on the shot. So he’ll head to the line to shoot a pair. It’s going to go on Moses Moody. Heading play to stop that easy layup right there. I mean, make him earn it at the line. All right, guys. What do you think so far about the offensive approach for Los Angeles? Well, we’re in the era of the three-point basket. So, if you want to win games in this league, you have to connect from deep, and they have been thus far. Getting to the inside is really important, but it’s how close you can get to the basket. It feels like these guys are all around the rim in their attack tonight. And he drops a first and the Warriors making a switch here. He’s perfect from the line this time. At this point, you might as well go ahead and chalk up the points when he’s at the free throw line. Pretty much automatic. Can they get it? And he lays it up and in. That is a tough two right there from Butler. Really his calling card. Rugged play and 100% effort. Here’s the Ravia. Still without a bucket to the wing on the left. Aiden with a screen. Clock at six. Out to the wing. Wide open. That shot no good. That’s got to frustrate him. He knows he should have made that one. Yeah, you can’t make them all. And you for sure you’ll want him taking that kind of shot. The three is up and Jimmy Butler with the three. He’s got seven. Well, when Butler’s this focused, defenders beware. Benson outside. Pass to Donic. Up top. Aiden launches it. The Warriors pull it in. It’s hard not to want payback when you give up a three at the other end, but it can force you to rush things. Jackson Davis’s screen inside and he takes the fantastic lead pass up strong for the slam. Both teams are hot. Woo! This is a fun one to watch. Yeah, made for TV game here. Pace is great. Scoring is coming in bunches and both of the teams feeling confident right now. Here’s Aiden. Vincson outside now. Here’s Moody. He’s covered by Vincent. Here’s Moody. Nails the baby hook. Just a great setup there. You can see how Jimmy Butler enjoys making plays. Pass to Aiden and there’s 138 left in the first quarter of the game. The shots good and the Lakers lead by seven. Golden State has gone four of seven from three-point range here in the first. Davis. He’s guarded closely to the inside. Ooh, the lead pass was in the perfect spot to set up the layup. Jackson Davis has gotten his second bucket of the game. Los Angeles leading by five. James outside back to Donic. Got it. Makes him four for six from the floor. Oh my. Tight defense, but Donic just muscles it in. 50 seconds left to play in the first quarter. It’s going to be on LeBron James. That’s his first foul of the game. And the Lakers with some changes. Vanderbilts checked in for DeAndre Aiden and Austin Reeves is subbed in for Donic. Santos has checked in for the Warriors. Here’s Jackson Davis. Just five on the clock. So, it’ll be two free throws. He was fouled in the act of shooting. Jared Vanderbilt picks one up. Well, there are troublemakers out on the court and Jimmy Butler is one of them. And I mean that as a compliment. Brent, you think about Jimmy Butler, great in the regular season, even better in the playoffs. Yeah. extremely tough. I mean, he has grit and resilience, but tough minded in the toughest moments, and that’s where his teammates rely on him. Jimmy Butler shows up big come playoff time. First free throw is good. Well, Brent, there are only a handful of players in the league with the big game experience of Butler. Yeah, and those big games, BA, are where he’s had some of his best moments. It’s been on several different teams as well. So the bigger the game gets, the bigger Jimmy Butler appears to show up. Connect checked in for Los Angeles. The Warriors also with a sub. Stephen Curry, he’s checked in for Santos. Jimmy Butler and his energy is something that is infectious for his team. He gets his squad so energized to work through the toughest moments of the game. Now here’s Vanderbilt. And so he draws the foul headed to the line to shoot a pair. These are his first free throws of the game. Shooting two. First free throw is good. Santos has checked in for the Warriors. And Vanderbilt drops them both. And so Curry will bring it up for Golden State. They trail by seven. He shoots and at the buzzer. Count it. Just textbook. Kept his cool and waited for his shot. That’s exactly how you want to close out the quarter, too, with some confidence. Oh, what a performance by Luca Donuch. He has been the story for Los Angeles. He put together 10 points in the quarter. More 2K action in just a moment. If you’re just joining us, we played through one quarter in this one. Taking a look at the Lakers performance here, guys. What are your thoughts? You could really see the strategy coming in. get the ball into the painted area. Yeah, you don’t see that all that often. Getting down there and doing that much damage in a quarter. You got to respect the game plan. Warriors trail by five. We’ve got Gabe Vincent. He’s out there with Austin Reeves. Connect is out there with Jared Vanderbilt. And it’s Larabia in at the four. That’s the group for the Lakers to kick off the second quarter. Curry doing it again. One of the quickest releases we’ve ever seen. Pass to Larabia. There’s a screen outside. Reeves from deep. Drills it from deep. Reeves has got eight. Oh, you got to love the back and forth. Showing real confidence at the arc. Yeah, both teams finding ways to the three-point line and trying to take advantage from distance. Curry no good. Well, mid-range is where he makes the money. So when the D’s slow to get out on them, always surprising to see a miss from there. Pass to Larabia. Here’s the three. Santos pulls it in. Warriors trail by five outside. Moody and we played just over a minute of basketball in the second quarter. Here’s Post right side. Curry. Oh, Curry just weaving his way through traffic. Still knocks it in. He could score on you in bunches. Curry doing it all in this one. Outside Reeves. Vanderbilt with a screen. Reeves. The pass to Arabia. Now Vincent takes the three. The shot won’t fall. The Warriors have got two of three shots to go in the second. Down low. Here’s Post and he tries it off the glass, but it’s no good. The Lakers lead by three. Benson outside. Pass to Labraia. Here’s Connect. Here’s the pick. There’s the triple. The Warriors pull it in. Curry. Curry. Curry. And a little under two and a half minutes gone by here in the second quarter. Back to Curry. Well, Grant, as you always say, in the playoffs, you need a player who can score in isolation. That’s true, BA. And in a seven game series, defenses disrupt your set offense. If your stars can go mono or mono and create something out of nothing, that’s often the best you can get. Outside Moody to the wing, right side, outside Curry. This one for three and Reeves pulls it down. Los Angeles has gone one to four from three-point land here in the second. outside Vanderbilt and the foul is called. He missed it. So, he’s got a couple of free throws coming his way and he’ll take his third and fourth free throws of the night. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. That one’s off. And some changes here for the Warriors. Green’s checked in for Jackson Davis and Pajimsky subbed in for Santos. And he sinks the second now. Green and Steve Porter calls timeout here. He wants to give him a breather and talk things over. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Larabi has checked in for Los Angeles. Here’s Green. And in the second quarter, a little under three and a half minutes played already. Five on the clock for three. James with the rebound. Los Angeles leading by six. Back to Reeves. Benson outside. Jacks up a three. Gets the three ball to go. Vincent’s got seven points. No way he’s going to pass that shot up. The D is way too far back and relaxed in getting out on him. Now here’s Curry. He’s covered by Vincent. Stephen Curry is still playing, but the debates have already started about where he ranks among the alltime great. It’s a matter of opinion, but if your opinion is that you shouldn’t be up there, shame on you. At 6’2, this guy is pound-for-pound maybe the best player that’s ever suited up in this league. And that one falls for Curry. Well, Brent, it’s been a blessing to watch Stephen Curry in real time, but he’s the kind of player his highlights will stand the test of time for years. The best shooter that’s ever played the game. Yes, it’s been a real treat. BA to watch all of that happen. But I got to give credit to Steph. The early part of his career shaky with the injuries, the confidence never wavered and then all of the sudden behind these magical hands, the game had changed. Yeah. So easy to root for Stephen Curry because of how much fun he seems to have on the floor. Embraces the competition, is able to laugh it off when something doesn’t go his way. A lot of things do though. Now here’s Hachimura. Back to Vincent. Shoots over Curry. Vincent can’t hit and it’s Green with the ball for the Warriors. Seven-point differential. Green with a screen on James. Back to Green. Green gets up and powers it down. It’s where Draymond’s speed becomes a huge advantage as he gets off the pick and roll and guys can’t keep up with him. Reeves the pass to Aimura outside. Reeves and here’s Benson. There’s the three. Jackson Davis grabs a miss. Here’s Green. Six points for him. outside. Curry beyond the arc. Oh, Curry, a sick triple. That’s a high percentage shot from Steph Curry. Just put that on repeat. Now, here is James. Moody defends and again the Lakers no good. Golden State has gone six for 12 from deep so far in this game. 43 and that one’s good and bringing with the assist. Moody’s got five now. Draymond Green, we know he plays with attitude. He plays with force and his teammates appreciate the unselfish approach he has. And we’ve got a timeout called by JJ Reic. He’ll take the opportunity to regroup. Here we go. Heat. Heat. Some changes for Los Angeles. Vanderbilt comes in for Labraia. and Luca Donuch subbed in for Vincent. Jimmy Butler’s checked in for the Warriors. He comes in for Moody. Golden State on D. Donic with it. now guarded by Curry and Vanderbilt slams it in. You can tell Donic trusts his teammates. He’ll get them looks and doesn’t insist on doing everything himself. And Golden State with the ball. They’ve outscored them 10 to two during this run. Here’s Green. Wow. Green attacking the rim. Well, it’s certainly been a roller coaster ride. You do me one, I’ll do you one better. It feels like we have a lead change every few possessions. Back to Donic coming through again shooting five for seven. Now the size and strength of Donic can go overlooked. I mean he’s more than capable of scoring there in the paint. Pass to Heel three-pointer and the Warriors with another three. That’s a shot he’s going to bury, especially when left open for Los Angeles. They’ve gotten five of their first 11 shots to fall here in the second quarter. Vanderbilt with a screen. Reeves the pass to Vanderbilt. Green with the defensive effort. It’s one thing to prevent the layup, it’s another to do it without fouling. Just terrific defense. That one goes in. He’s got 14. And I like Butler down low fighting for points outside. Reeves back to Donic. Luca proving he can score from anywhere. They’re punishing those late defensive rotations, getting good looks inside throughout the half. Now here’s Pachki. Curry with it. Donic pulls down the board. James outside over healed. James can’t get it to go. Not a bad shot from the mid-range. The D’s giving it to him and he’s usually got an eye in that kind of range. Butler right to the heart. Yeah, Jimmy Butler is in the zone and he keeps finding shots. Lakers trail by four. And here’s Reeves. Give him eight points now. Reeves with a screen on Curry from deep. Here’s Donic. That is now his seventh field goal in 10 attempts. Impressive. Easy look when the defender isn’t fighting over the screen. The coach over there just asking for one simple thing and that’s some effort. Got burned on that one. Now here’s Green. Give him eight. Now Curry tried to answer back, but that three is off the mark. Reeves against Green. Vanderbilt. The pass to Reeves. Now here’s Donic. Donic is doubled. Back to Reeves. Shot clock at six. Pass to Vanderbilt outside the three and the rebound goes to the Warriors. Green’s got four rebounds in the game. Here’s Curry. Outside heel. Curry is screened on Vanderbilt. Healed from outside. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Given his range, you’d expect him to capitalize on that opening. Donic outside. Oh, Luca with a deep one. Exactly what every offense needs. Shooters who can force the defense to extend. Oh, there’s no doubt he’s a legitimate threat from downtown and he’s demonstrating that in this game. Outside PJski to the middle. Here’s Green. Vanderb pulls it in. And here’s Donic. He’ll bring it up for Los Angeles. Pass to Reeves. 141 left in the second quarter with a screen on Curry from deep. Here’s Donic. Kept alive. Let’s go with a three. No luck on that one. Golden State has gotten only four of nine from beyond the arc here in the second. Outside PJsky Green with a screen on Reeves. Here’s Pajki. No good. And they can’t put it into the drought. The Lakers in the lead outside. Reeves. Donic on the wing. He’s covered by Curry to the paint and it’s going to be a 3second call. DeAndre Aton, he’s checked in for Vanderbilt and Golden State also making a switch. Moody’s checked in. Boy, this offense has been dynamic and diversified. Just everyone sharing the ball and sharing the load makes you difficult to defend. Now, here’s Green. Give him eight points now. Pass to Heel from the ark. And that comes off the assist by Green. Green’s got three assists now in this one. Well, He could make a living out there from behind the ark. Doesn’t need a lot of room to get his shot off and he drains that one with ease. Here’s Donic. Give him 20. Fires the three. Luca comes right back with his own. And both teams running long range plays that are working well. Both of them looking towards the three-point line and I like to see that especially when the results are made by pass to Aimura. And here’s Donic. Lets it go from D. Shot no good. Oh, what a performance by Luca Donuch. He has been the story for Los Angeles. He’s found his range hitting three triples in the quarter. We’ll be right back. And as we get into this third quarter, as we’ve seen so far, neither team able to create much separation on the scoreboard. Boy, really an incredible game here from Luca Donuch. Through the first two quarters and change, his perimeter shooting continues to be spot-on. Yeah, you would hope the defense at least would start to consider creeping up on him just a little bit. And so in the game for the Warriors, Curry and Pods make up the back court. Jimmy Butler out there with Draymond Green. And it’s heel in at the three slot. A great move. I mean, the defense has no response. Well, just ripping through right there as he he finds the open spot and gets right through there. High basketball IQ play. Good fast-paced play there. It’s much easier to find a shot when you beat the defense back. The Lakers trail. James up top guarded by Heel. Now here’s Reeds. He’s closely guarded. Rebounded by Green. Green’s got his sixth rebound on the night. It counts and the foul. It’s on Ruie Aimura. Yeah, pretty good show of strength there by Jimmy Butler. Able to convert even after the hit. He’s gone two for two at the line so far. Find the lanes. Find the lanes. Good shot. About a minute played here in the second half. Donic outside to halt the run. It falls and now he’s 10 of 15 shooting. Nice work. And their offense tonight is Luca. Luca and more Luca when he’s on. It’s an opponent’s worst nightmare. In 2024, Luca Donuch recorded six consecutive 30point triple double games. That’s right, BA. the first time anyone has done it in NBA history. So, if you didn’t already believe in Luca Magic, well, there’s some proof that the magic is real. Now, here’s Donic. 26 points for him. James finds Donic and he loss it up for the rim and a foul called on the way up. So, he’ll take two from the free throw line. That’s on Jimmy Butler. assertive from Eightton, wanting to score often and then forcing the D right there at his size to foul him. The first one falls well. Aiden and efficiency go hand in hand. I mean, this guy’s field goal percentage is on cloud9. Aiden hits them both. A big fella with the ability and confidence at the free throw line is something that every team wants. Don’t have to make those late substitutions. Keep your big guys on the floor. Back to Green. Stolen by Aton. Curry against Donic. Left side. Re. That one falls. Great setup by Donic. Donic has got his fifth assist in this one. Gifted moving the ball. Luca is one of the best passers in the league. Green. The pass to Curry looking to win the run. Look at Curry shake it off the contact all the way to the bucket. No resistance. Just swiped the candy from him. A touch over 2 and 1/2 minutes of basketball played here in the third quarter. Peyton with a screen. And here’s Reese outside. Rebounded by Green. Green’s got his seventh rebound of the game of that last one. Butler. He’s too much close to the rim. Just making it look easy. You think about the kind of impact that Draymond Green can have in the entirety of the game. Back to Donic. Shoots over Curry and Donic the bucket on the assist by Reeves. Reeves has got his fifth assist in this one. The Warriors have gone an impressive five of five so far in the third quarter. Outside Green pass to heel. James with a steal. Now the Lakers moving it up. And who else? LeBron with the finish. A dangerous two-way threat. When LeBron gets a steal, watch out. His first thought is to attack. Here’s Curry for three. Drops in the three. Curry’s got five points now this quarter. And it just sinks it over the taller defender. That’s why you have to crowd shooters on the perimeter. Yeah, that effort just not good enough because even if that defender was a bit taller, the shooter already locked in of all the action happening there. And it’s the assist that jumps out to me there. That’s just a great look and a great setup for the bucket. Now here’s heel and Steve Kerr calls timeout. We might see him looking to make some tweaks to the strategy here. You know, one guy who’s been getting it done is Luca Donuch. Not sure what the defense is thinking or if they are. They continue to let him shoot. That is bad defense. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Green against Aiden. Back to Green. Tries again. Oh, Butler. Strong move. Defense had the right idea there, but maybe not enough time in the weight room. Butler right through that. Donic feeling it out of it. Sinks the tray. Donic just got eight points here on the quarter. Yeah, these teams are playing with incredible energy. At least in the second half they have been. The first half wasn’t played anywhere near this intense. Now here’s Curry giving them 23. Fires for three. Rebound the Lakers. A got nine rebounds now. Here’s Reeves. That shot off the mark. Great D that time from Pajimski. Oh, and he got fouled on his way up. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. You look how Jimmy Butler stays committed on that play, ready to overcome the defender and still take the shot. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. and he makes a first. Moody’s checked in for Heield. Both shots good from the strike. Here’s Donic. Give him 31 now. Eightton. A screen on Curry. Here’s Donic. The Warriors pull it in. Green’s got double-digit rebounds now in the game. Outside Curry for the lead. And he can’t get that one. And you never want to give a shooter like him a clean look inside. James finds Reeves. Now here’s Dantic. He’s covered by Curry. Donic against Curry. Clock is at three. And once again off the mark by Los Angeles. The Warriors trailing on the wing. Curry back to Green. Oh, Green flexing on him with the strong finish. That’s a tough one there from Draymond Green. As tough as they come. Reeves the pass to Aiden over Greens and Aiden gets it to go. Aton’s got 12 points here in the second half. This game still nipping tough. Just an insane amount of lead changes. The fans are getting their money’s worth. Curry surveys. Good D by Donic. Los Angeles has gotten three of six threes to fall in the third quarter to the middle. Out to James. The three is up. Rebounded by Green. The Warriors have gone eight of 12 from the floor in the third quarter. Donic against Curry. Pass to Green. Moody with it. Oh, and there’s the whistle on the shot. So, two free throws for him coming up. It’s on Ruy Aimura. And a moment here to take a look at the scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Their offensive game plan has been simple. looked to shoot it often from outside the arc and the results have been outstanding. Something else I’ve seen from them in this game is just how quick they are to capitalize on a turnover. I mean, they’re pouncing on that stuff. You got to be careful when they’re handling the ball around them. And Los Angeles making a change here. Larabi has checked in. And he’s good on the second. He was able to tie it up. He has to be disappointed that he could not give his team the lead. Donic passes to Labravia. There’s a double team with Pachki and there’s James from the arc. LeBron fires and hits a three. Their strategy has been pretty simple here in the second half. attack from three-point range. Maybe trying to find a little bit more space and ball movement to get guys open at the three-point line. Here’s Moody and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got 10 rebounds here tonight. So active. Reeves with the ball now. Pinky defending. Offensive rebound. Reeves finds Donic and Los Angeles. Another three. I like when Donic goes right up with it. giving the defense no time to react. Here’s Green. Oh, it’s blocked. It deflects off the backboard. Reeves. The pass to Dantic. Hayden against Green. Pass to Reeves. Hayden with it. Now Reeves defended by Kajinsky. And he’s gone for the love and Aton with the stuff. Just great hands for Aiden to time that one. So it’s the Warriors now. Here’s Pajki and the layup falls. Pajimski’s got five. The defense couldn’t collapse quickly enough. Los Angeles leading by six. What a rookie year for Brandon Pajimsky. a seamless transition into the league. You talk about a guy who could come in and contribute right away. I remember the stretch last year. He had three straight games with double doubles without a turnover. That’s some petty play for a rookie. He has got a great calmness and a great demeanor about him, but always willing to make the next play. This is his second trip to the line in the game. shooting two and that one falls for Curry. Vanderbilt’s checked in for Los Angeles. Connect comes in for James. And so Curry nails both of them. The Lakers lead by four. Reeves the pass to Donic. Reeves with a screen on Curry. Donic throwing his weight around. That’s how you draw it up right there. A screen to shed the defense. A quick move to the bucket and you get the layin to the inside. The Lakers with a rebound. Lets it go and it’s in after a nice bounce off the right iron. And it’s an eight-point Laker lead. And I love Donett’s shot selection. So smart at knowing when to shoot it. outside booty pass to Jackson Davis outside Curry takes a three and the three-pointer goes. Curry’s got 28. He’s going to punish you if you leave him open. He’s more than willing to take the open three when he’s got it outside. Reeves. Kicks it to Dantic. Five to shoot. the three ball. The Warriors pull it in. Jackson Davis has got four rebounds now. Pass to Moody from behind the ark. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Donic has got six rebounds in the game. And here’s connect outside. That one falls. Great setup by Donic. Donic has got seven assists in the game. Here’s Curry. And he’s got 28 now. Here’s Post. Now here’s Moody over Reeves. Vanderbilt pulls it in. Vanderbilt’s got five rebounds tonight. Donic on the take. And he was fouled while in the act of shooting, so he’ll take two free throws. And just a tenacious play by Donic driving right into the defense and drawing a foul while shooting. First trip to the free throw line for him in this one. He’s off on the first. And Donas is a walking triple double threat. His versatility and confidence is really special. Aimura’s checked in for Los Angeles. And Golden State also making a switch. Santos has checked in. He hits the second from the line. Warriors trail by nine. Shot and game clock separated by five. Pass to Jackson Davis. Oh, look at Butler focused as always. Yeah, he’s leading the charge for them. But let’s be honest, he needs more help if they’re going to get out in front. Yeah. Doing anything he can right now to get his team to cut into this lead and give them a chance. Shoots. Oh, a little luck that time as it drops. Got 18 points in just the second half. So far, he’s a kit miss player, a superb scorer who plays to his strength. And so it’s the Los Angeles Lakers. They have a nice nine-point cushion at the end of the quarter. Their work from distance has been impressive and it’s put them in this lead right now. All right, we’ll get back to the action after this break. Fourth quarter action is upon us. Thanks as always for joining us. Gabe Vincent out there with James. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt. Then it’s Rui Aimura. And it’s Larabia in at the three. That’s who’s in the game for the Lakers. Now here’s Aimura. Back to Vincent. Four on the clock. Santos pulls it in. Warriors trail by nine. Pass to Moody. Here’s Santos outside. Curry from outside the arc. They get the rebound. Moody from outside. Oh, Moody deadly from there. Oh, what great action we’ve seen tonight. Hard to imagine a more entertaining game. No, this is about as high octane a game as you’re going to find. To the paint and Vanderbilt slams it in. Well, Hashimura not known as a playmaker, but unselfish play that is part of his game. outside Moody outside Curry from downtown and the Warriors with another three. Defensively, you can’t afford to get stuck on the pick. That’s one that the coaches will watch tomorrow with that player. You hate to see him give up in that situation. Now here’s Vincent pass to Aimura. Pick it up. Pick it up. Good work defensively by Jackson Davis. Here’s Santos outside. Moody now. Here’s Curry. Now Jackson Davis. Here’s Post. Guarded by Vanderbilt. Pulls it. He hits the back iron and sinks it. Now just a three-point Laker lead. I just don’t think they want him taking that kind of shot again. and his teammates are just laughing, shaking their heads there on the bench. James passes to Benson. And here’s James. No good on the three right now. Firing on all cylinders. Yeah, there’s a nice flow to this offense right now. The three from Curry. Rebounded by the Lakers. They’ve led by as many as 14. James deciding where to go with it. Step back on that one and let it fly. James has got nine points here in the second half. This has been proven. It’s a scientific fact and it’s hard to stop LeBron James from scoring. Back to Curry. The three. Here’s Jackson Davis. Boom. He jams it straight down. What elevation. He’s a smaller but still determined big man and he likes mixing it up with his impressive vert. James passes to Vincson. Here’s the Rabia. Pass to Aimura. Now here’s Vincent. Shoots over Curry. hits the front of the rim and out. Warriors trail by three. Moody with it. On the wing, Curry. He’s covered by Vincent. 13 ft out. Curry. No good for Los Angeles. They’ve gotten only two of six attempts to drop in the fourth. Watching Merurl from long range gets rebounded by Golden State. Post has got his fourth rebound in this one. Curry passes to Moody to the left side wing. Here’s Santos outside. Curry, connects, the jumper drops. Curry’s got five points now this quarter. This is anyone’s game now and they have the momentum. Yeah, this is not the team that we saw in the first quarter right now. way more confident out there and the cohesion of the team is impressive. Now here is James the Lakers with another miss. Here’s Moody and he got the whistle on the way up. So he’ll be headed to the line for a pair. shooting two. That one drops. He ties it up. Some changes now for the Lakers. DeAndre Eaton. He’s checked in for Vanderbilt. Reeves comes in for LeBron. And Donic has subbed in for Vincent. Pajimky’s checked in for the Warriors. And that one falls. That puts him up one point in the game now. And the Lakers have possession. Donic outside. Shoots over Curry. Donic. No good. The Warriors have gone five of eight from the field so far in the fourth. Pass to Pajimski. Back to Moody from the ark. And again, no good by Golden State. Los Angeles has gone 0 for three here in the fourth. And here’s Donic covered by Jackson Davis. They still need this. And Donic with the three. Donic has got 44. Encouraging to see Donic sink the three. Needs to keep doing this now. Outside Pajimski. Pass to Moody. Pajimsky with it. This one for three. knocks down the triple and the Warriors lead by one. These teams are finding the range, showing a lot of confidence. It seems like they’re going to find out who can make the deepest threes right now. It’s a shootout. Here’s Labraia. Back to Donic. Fires the three. Rebound by Post. Post has got rebound number five here tonight. Left side for Jimky. Back to Moody. Here’s Post. Bounces high off the rim and drops. And now a three-point Warrior lead. The bounce pass right on the money. Great setup. Donic outside for three. The rebound by Post. Golden State has gone three of six from downtown so far in the fourth. Here’s Curry. And the Warriors tack on two more. Well, if you play that far off of Steph Curry, that pullup game starts to become a weapon. And we’ve got a timeout called by JJ Reic looking to get everyone dialed in and engaged. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. LeBron, he’s checked in for Larabia. Let’s check in with our reporter, Ally Leforce. I was able to listen in on what JJ Reic was going over with his team. Coach told them to adjust on defense, saying they’re calling it tight right now. We can keep the same effort, but less reaching in and all that. Don’t let them beat us at the line. Send it back to you, Brian. As always, Ally, we thank you. Aimura outside back to Donic. Just five to shoot. James outside. Here’s Reeds. No good again. That time the Warriors lead by five. Wow, potent offense. It’s been fun to watch. Just aggressive and effective, taking it right to the defense. Now here’s Don and again, the Lakers no good. Something’s off about him this quarter. Well, he’s missing and it’s starting to affect a little bit in his body language and you just don’t want to see that. Draymond. Oh, such a force inside. Now Draymond Green with only one thing on his mind when he gets that close and that’s collecting two points. Outside Greavves James outside off target with the three and that’s exactly how tightly you have to guard him every time he steps to the arc. He’s just that good. The shot by no good. Lakers trail by seven. And here’s Reeves. Here’s Aiden. Rebounded by Green. Green’s got a rebound number 12 here already in the game. Outside Pipski down low and Butler is there for the flush. Jimmy such a well conditioned athlete using that vertical he has to get up and throw it down. Outside Reeves back to Donic. Will it go? Luca against resistance. Well, here’s the problem. He’s shooting the lights out, but they’re still behind. They need another guy to step up. Outside heel there’s Pinski good on the shot and the Warriors lead by nine. Well healed right there on the yield waiting for someone to get open. Curry against Donic to Aimura. The shot is good. Donic making the play. He’s going to punish you if you leave him open. And he’s more than willing to take the open three when he’s got it. And he’s going to the line for two. The officials saw contact while he was going up. It’s on Ruy Aimura. All right, guys. What do you think about the offensive approach we’ve seen so far for the Warriors? Well, they’ve had no problem getting into the heart of this defense with the dribble, and they’ve made the most of their chances there as well. Well, we’ve also seen them being very aggressive down in the paint. All game long. They’ve been hunting down those inside points. He hits the first one and that makes it a seven-point lead. And the second free throw, no good. Tough break there. Los Angeles shooting just 28% during this fourth quarter. Shot is good by Reed. And that was the right decision. When you’re in need of a bucket, you go to your most trusted guys. Yeah. Whether it’s teammates or the coaching staff, hopefully a combination of both. But gets close. He’s getting the ball. He was all alone on that one. Curry’s got 38 points. Defensively, you can’t afford to get stuck on the pick. That’s one that the coaches will watch tomorrow with that player. You hate to see him give up in that situation. Now, here’s Dantic for three. Connects again from distance. Buries his 10th triple of the game. Unbelievable, BA. Unbelievable. Donic against Curry. Green with a screen on Donic from deep three-point range. Rebound the Lakers’s got four rebounds now. Pass to Donic. James outside. Here’s Aiden. Oh, and he got fouled on his way up. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. Good idea to make Aidton earn it at the line cuz he’s a menace in the paint. Don’t let him get that shot off. And no good as the first free throw misses. We’ll see if he can hit the second. That’s good. scoring one of two from the line and that shrinks the margin to just four. Just a tough miss at the line. They’re down two baskets now. Curry against about 16 up. The Warriors score. You know he’s going to have the ball and then you feel he’s going to come through. He did it there. There’s 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter of this one. Curry with a steal. Oh, and a fast break for the Warriors. Here’s Heield James with the block. What a denial. LeBron attacking that shot with pinpoint accuracy. He gets the first and that makes it a seven-point lead. Second one is good. Getting both at the line and it’s an eight-point ball game. 34 seconds left to play in the fourth. And here’s Donic outside. Here’s Eightton. Banked it in off the glass. And how about that? Eighton stepping up, wanting the pressure. And now we’ve got an intentional foul. good on the first and that makes it a seven-point lead and he hits both free throws here and it’s an eight-point ball game and not much left to play for at this point. Hey, you give it your all and let the chips fall where they may. Just wasn’t their nightl from long range and the rebound go. Should be plenty of action down in the painted area tonight. Greg with the big man match up in this one. Yeah, I I love to see skilled bigs drooling down low. Kind of a throwback in some ways, but there’s still plenty of physicality in the modern game. Now, Golden State’s starting five in the back. Loose Curry and Pajki. Buddy Heel is out there with Jimmy Butler. And it’s Green in at the five. And the dunk to finish it off. A beauty. Butler knows what he can do inside that time. be rupting for a throw down. Pass to Hatchima. Back to Donic. Jacks up a three. Off to a good start as he hits his first shot attempt. And he’s not going to miss that sort of an opportunity from be. Back to Curry. Golden State moving the ball around. Here’s PMski. He’s defended by Reeves. And two free throws coming up. Unable to get that one to go with all the content. It’s on Lucic. And you can never really count out these Los Angeles Lakers, Greg, can you? No, I I I really don’t think you can. They They battle out of the playin tournament. They overcome obstacles and they have tremendous willpower. And the first one drops. And you know with Curry, what impresses me most is his efficiency. That’s not something we normally see in a high volume jump shooter. Both good from the line that time. And what an advantage. You really feel like you can always trust him when he’s at the line. James outside pass to Hatchimic left side pocket six and contact on the shot. So he’ll be shooting free throws here. and Clark. It’s hard to compare Luca Donuch to any other player we’ve seen before. I would certainly agree with that. Dittos to that, Kevin, because he is unique. This pace is never hurry. He never gets rattled. He complains to officials a little bit more than I’d like to see, but he’s strong. He’s got great touch and feel, and he scores at all three levels, and he’s a brilliant passer. That free throw good from Donic. Luca Donets is a doit all player. I mean, he does everything for this team, including being a walking triple double threat on a game by-game basis. So, he makes one of two as the second one misses. And really, Clark, Luca Donuch is a oneman wrecking crew on the offensive end of the floor. Yeah, he really is. I mean, he’s special. His IQ, his size, the way he can make shots against tough defense, he’s got the lean back, he’s got the crafty moves, and I think he’s a lot stronger and a little more athletic than people give him credit for being. I mean, without a doubt, he’s one of the most unique and best players that we’ve seen in the game. And that one’s good. Hachimura just solid with the jump shot. Hachimura helps your offense in a number of ways. In that case, spacing the floor. Back to Curry. Lets it go with a three. Drains it from beyond the arc. Curry’s got seven points and an eye for an eye. Both teams working to stretch the floor. Nothing like answering back. One team gets three, you fire three of your own. Boom. Reeves with it. He’s defended by Pajki and the double of Donuch. Back to Reeves. There’s the triple. Pajinski grabs the board and close to making the defense pay for the lack coverage that time. Here’s Green. Another shot. A shot by Pajinsky. No good. Los Angeles has gone two of four from beyond the arc to start the game. Hakimura the pass to Donic. It’s good for a second make. He’s made two or three so far. That’s the weight room strength of Donic right there. Fully displayed. Let’s check in with our reporter David Aldridge. Hey Kevin, briefly spoke with JJ Reick. Now I asked him who hasn’t worried out there on the floor and his answer was Draymond Green. He told me he’s a higheffort, high IQ player who can be so effective. Right now, our plan is to stay physical with him and not let him dictate the terms out there. Of course, this means a heartfelt contest down low, guys. Thank you, David. Now, Reeves hasn’t made one yet and throws it down. Impressive at using the pick and roll. Aiden slips well to the basket after setting that screen to the paint. Donic with the block and he’s able to get it back. Here is Pachki and the Warriors miss again. Well, you’ve got to be there defensively. I mean, that’s an easy mid-range jumper that he’ll typically drain. Pass to Aton. Lakers passing it around and they double up Donic. Eightton kicks to LeBron, fires it up, and it’s good from Donic on the assist by James. That’s now eight points for Luca Donuch. Guys, they’re looking for a score here. Yeah, they’ve had a tough time taking the hit off. And so Steve Kerr calls for the timeout and coach has decided they need a moment to talk things over. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Acres on D. They lead by four. Healed against LeBron. Here’s Curry. The shot is good and so is his shooting tonight. Three for four. Stronger than he looks. Curry able to take the hit there and finish. Eightton a screen on Curry down low and it’s missing. Well, you know this is what happens. You can’t afford to lose concentration even for a nancond. James against Teal. Six on the shot clock and out of bounds as Los Angeles gains possession. Los Angeles making a switch here. Orus checked in. And here’s Eightton. He’ll bring it up for the Lakers. Outside James. Back to Eightton. Good. And the assist goes to LeBron. James has got three assists in the game. He’s just terrific at executing in the paint. Aiden has a nice array of shots to choose from. Now here’s Curry. He’s got nine. And the shot is good. Curry’s got 11 points. Watch out now. When this guy gets into a rhythm, it is something to behold inside. Here’s and throws it down. And it’s the way Aiden uses his body inside. It’s what allows him to get so close to the basket. With it. He’s defended by Reed. He can’t hit. LeBron against Heield. Warriors with the rebound. Yeah. And that was lining up to be a huge alleyoop, but they just couldn’t quite connect. And you know guys, always a tough catch on the lob. Placement and timing have to be close to perfect. And right now, let’s watch that terrific swat. And guys, don’t think twice about attempting that shot again. That was a big time rejection. Here’s PMski. He has yet to score. Rain finds Curry driving to the basket. Love the defense from James. When he’s engaged and focused, he can block some shots, folks. A sensational block that definitely deserves another look. You can almost feel the mindset he has. I mean, when the game’s this close, he’s going to bring it at that end of the floor. Five on the clock. Here’s Poachki. And finally they hit one. His mid-range shot is very solid. I mean for some reason the defense let him have it. Donich passes to Labraia. Back to Donic. An easy two points on the layup. 10 points for him. Luca uses his body to create space and then finds the inside look. And we’ve got a timeout called by Steve Ker. He’s made the decision he wants to huddle up with his guys. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Well, in attendance here tonight in Los Angeles, BigCat rapper Sway Lee. Yeah, Kevin. And of course, Sway Lee big on hoops in general. He’s big on streaming 2K and loves to play pickup ball. Warriors trail by four. Outside Green. Pass to Pajki from the arc and it’s Aton with the rebound. Lakers have gone eight to 12 on field goal attempts so far. Donic from deep three-point lane on the wing. Reeds misses the wing j. Golden State’s gone one of three from beyond the arc so far in the game. And he uses the glass on the layup. Easy to see why Butler gets so much respect for his competitiveness. I mean, he thrives at finishing through contact. LeBron James on the win. Off target from three-point range. The Warriors have gotten seven of their first 16 field goal attempts to go down here in the first. Shoots from 14. And the Warriors tack on two more. This is the best place for Butler to shoot it from. He’s excellent at that in between shot. James outside back to Reeves. Pass to Lorabia. Lakers passing it around outside. Here’s Lorabia. Here’s Eaton. And he hits it just before the shot clock expires. Eighton’s got eight. That’s simply an outstanding play. Working the size mismatch right at the rim. Curry from deep three-point land. The long distance three is buried. Curry’s got a pair of threes now in the first quarter for the Warriors. Anj passes to Aton. Now LeBron over healed. Warriors with the rebound. Green’s got rebound number five here tonight. Some solid defense from Eightton and not allowing the shooter even an inch of breathing room on that one. And guys, that’s exactly the kind of high impact defense they want to see out of him. Just focusing on the task at hand. That’s all you can do. Yeah, these teams trading punches right now. I mean, it’s table tennis. Back and forth we go. Curry with the bucket. But on the offensive end, Curry both prolific and efficient. Here’s Reeds. He’s defended by Pachki. Donic with it and he gets it to go. Hitting off the back of the rim. He’s got 12. Well guys, this first half has been about as tightly congested as you could hope for. There have been a lot of lead changes. My goodness. Outside Curry from outside off the mark. Definitely a situation you want to make sure you don’t give him too good of a look. And the latest now from our sideline reporter, David Aldridge. David, it’s all yours. Take it away, Kevin. Thank you very much. LeBron James is still dominating at an age where most players are well into their retirement. How does he do it? He said, “Show up, put the work in, and then go out and trust it. I’m just trying to push the limit. See how far I can take this thing. It’s me versus father time.” Kevin, back to you. And David, that’s one you’re always going to win against father time. Hey, thank you for the report. The Lakers with the ball after the miss from Stephan Curry. Here’s PMski. He’s defended by Reeds. Pass to Pajki. Healed with it. Here’s the three. It’s rebounded by Donic. Reeves outside and he’s good on the three ball. Reeves has got five. Capable of running the offense. Donic fantastic at getting his teammates involved. Curry against Donic. Curry dishes to heel to end the run. A three ball. It’s hauled in by Los Angeles. Tell you what, the defense was lucky there. I mean, leave him that open from range. He’ll typically knock it down. Way outside. Here’s and he gets the whistle. Two free throws coming up and it goes on Draymond Green and at 7’1 and 250 lbs. Aiden is a handful. Not easy trying to guard him without fouling. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. He misses the free throw. And you just have to be enticed by the skill set of Aiden, a 7 foot1 behemoth who plays with a lot of physicality and skill on both ends. And the second free throw. Good. 16 seconds left to play here in the first. Donic against Curry from deep. A three-pointer is right on target. Curry’s got 19 points. Well, I love watching him carve his way inside and capitalize. It’s been all about Luca Donuch for the Los Angeles Lakers. That quarter had to take a lot out of him. He racked up 12 points. We’ve got more in store for you right after this. And if you’re just joining us, we’ve played through one quarter in this one. And from what we’ve seen so far from the Lakers, guys, what are your thoughts? Just a terrific first quarter sparked really by their unselfishness. Yeah, and you know, so many of their hoops came off an assist, which is a good sign of ball movement and sharing that ball. For years, it seemed like the league was going to go smaller, but lately, Greg, it seems like size is back in fashion. Yeah, I mean, look at the MVP award, right? Centers and Jokic and Embiid winning it recently. Even Giannis, you know, I wouldn’t consider him small. And just overall around the NBA, it feels like bigger teams are having more success. Austin Reeves out there with Vincent. Then it’s Connect. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt. And it’s Lorravia in at the forel. That’s the Laker five. Now here’s Curry. Six to shoot. Fires for three. Steph Curry. What a finish. It looks easy. Effortless Curry natural from long range. on the wing. Reeds defended by Moody. Shot on the way and he wills that one in. Sinking right through off the back eye. Pick works well there. Not much resistance from the deep. Yeah, that’s not the defense you need. You got to be tougher defensively. Pass to Curry. Puts up a deep free. Bullseye. Curry with a deep three. And this is the game plan for him. and he’s a big part of their floor spacing. And you know what? It’s all about the long distance game for him tonight. He’s getting it done from out there. Here’s Reeves 11 ft out and he hits it. Reeves has got seven points. Textbook nice pass. Great catch. Even better finish. Curry looking around over Vincent. Curry with another miss. The Lakers in the lead. Quarter number two. We’re about two minutes in. Vanderbilt setting the pick for Connect and the dunk by Vanderbilt. And for a power forward, he can sure get up. I mean, because of that leaping ability, it kind of offsets his height disadvantage. Now, here’s Curry. 25 points in the game. Curry with another miss. Reeves the pass to Vincent. Back to Reeves. Vanderbilt with the screen. Pass to connect. And there’s the drive second chain shot and the layup is good. And guys, they continue to put a lot of pressure on the interior defenders with their work down low as a junior college product. Dton Connect didn’t have a traditional path to the NBA. Yeah, Kevin spent two years at a JC, two more at a small division one program, then used his extra year of eligibility to transfer to Tennessee. And there he became a first team all-American and turned himself into a first round pick. And there’s the whistle on the shot, took the foul, shot misses. He’ll be shooting two. Clark, what is it about Austin Reeves style of play that makes him such a good scoreer? I love the fact that he can change pace with the dribble. You know, he’s not super fast, but he’s not slow either. What he is is shifty and smart. He’s got good size, good ball skills, and he’s got a nice mid-range jumper. All of that allows him to keep defenders off balance. And Los Angeles with some changes. Aimura comes in for Vanderbilt and LeBron subbed in for Connect. And Reeves drops them both. So it’s the Warriors now trailing by five. And so Steve Cerr calls for the timeout. He wants to make some adjustments to the game plan clearly. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Just under three and 1/2 minutes played here in the second quarter. Back to Pajki. Green with a screen on Reeves to the inside. It’s deflected. Down to five on the shot clock. Here’s PMski. Count it. His second make in four attempts. Los Angeles leading by three. Reeves the pass to Hatchima over Green. Hatchima. No good. How about that hard-nosed D in the paint right there. Nice job. Impressive work protecting the basket. Held his ground nicely on that one. And really, it’s been a major aspect of their offense in the early stages here. Their success working the ball inside and getting points from close range. Reeves with it. He’s defended by PMski. Reeves the pass to Vincent. Here’s the screen for three. Los Angeles with another miss. Golden State’s gone past the three-point line for 13 of their shots. Six of 13. Green dishes to Curry or the three. The Lakers with the rebound. Now Reed nine points in the game so far. Here’s Larabia. Oh, good on the three. The Warriors trailing to Curry from downtown. Reeves with the rebound. Reeves has got his first rebound with that last one. Here now Hatchima. Back to Reeves. with the floater. Poachki grabs the board. Pajenski’s got six rebounds in the game and the call on the shot that sends in to the line. And let’s quickly check out the scoring breakdown here for the Lakers. So far, they’ve moved the ball well, leading to open high percentage looks, lots of assists in this one. You know, something else is working for him is the three-point shooting. I mean, they’ve done some damage early on from behind the arc and it’s tied up with that one. Vanderbilt’s checked in for the Lakers. Anjic comes in for Gabe Vincent. Jimmy Butler, he’s checked in for the Warriors. He comes in for Moses Moody. and they now lead as the free throw drops for him. LA has gone 0 and2 from deep here in the second pass to Vanderbilt. They need this one and foul on the shot. So he’ll get a chance at the line and it goes on Draymond Green. I tell you what, he earned his money on that foul. Yeah, if you’re going to foul then make sure that you don’t give a chance for the and one. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. Good. First one falls for Vanderbilt hits them both. The Warriors have gotten exactly half their shots to go down here in the second. Five and 10 outside. Curry puts up a three. Fender with the rebound. I’m shocked that didn’t turn into three points. I mean, he makes you pay on those nearly every time. He’s an automatic finisher when he gets into that area. He is. And he picks the simple one-hand stuff to get the two points. Hey guys, I know I’m stating the obvious here, but those could be an important two point considering how close this game is. He with the bucket. Almost looks effortless, but He has worked hard to build those efficient mechanics. James against Teal. Back to Donic. And the basket is good. And he’s got a chance here for one more at the line. Boy, this is why me and so many others are high on Donic. I mean, he’s got the ability to fight through challenges that defenses present. And this is his second trip to the line in the game. Vincent’s checked in for the Lakers. One shot on the free throw. No good. Warriors have gone six of 12 in the second quarter. Right at the 50% mark from the field. Knocked loose and we’re going to have a jump ball. It’s tied up there. James looking around and again the Lakers no good. Golden State’s gone outside a lot tonight. 17 times in fact. Seven of 17 outside Curry. They kick out to Heel. Straps in the tray. Heels’s got six here in this quarter. A very efficient range shooter. You expect Heel to take these shots. Pass to James. Oh, LeBron’s just too strong inside. You talked about a back andforth game. This is the definition. You have to love these kinds of games scoring wise, keeping everybody on their toes. Curry with the bucket. Curry’s got 30 points. Hey, inside Curry has all the tricks. Floers, scoop shots, fall aways, left hand, right hand. However he has to do it, he will. Now here’s Donic. 14 points for him. Here’s Vincent. He’s defended by Pachki. Gets tipped and they’ll keep possession. And really the defense fouling there to prevent the layup, but that’s exactly what you need to do. It is. I mean, no reason to back off and give him the layup. I mean, much better off making him go to the line. And let’s get your take, guys, on the scoring breakdown for the Warriors. To me, it’s been the ball move. That’s been the key. I mean, going from good to great, not settling for a good shot, making that extra pass, keeping the defense off balance, and taking great shots. And we also have seen them continue to fire from deep with the results they’re seeing. You can understand why. Rudy’s check in for the Warriors. That one is no good. And you can see that even though he ties the game up, disappointed he couldn’t give him the lead. He can’t hit. And so James will bring it up for Los Angeles. We passed year 20 for LeBron James. Clark, how is he still doing this? Well, I’d love to find out, but he’s got a combination of remarkable DNA and obviously a tremendous work ethic and attention to detail and taking care of his body, but some of it is it’s a blend of um good fortune and a lot of hard work. But he’s played at a level at his age that I never thought I’d see in basketball. It’s different in other sports, but to do what he’s doing on the court is amazing. And the dunk by Vanderbilt. Putting those passing skills to work. LeBron truly a gifted passer. Pass to post to the middle. Lets it go from deep. Second shot opportunity and he sinks the layup. Post has got the game tied up here for the Warriors. It’s never easy trying to keep him off the glass. He’s an absolute beast down there. Here’s Vincent defended by Moody from range. LeBron is good. LeBron ready to fire. Shot it with confidence there. Warriors trail by three. Pass to Moody. Back to Pajki with the teardrop. Look at Donic. Grabs the miss. Donic has got his fourth rebound in this one. Hatchimura finds Vincent. The Warriors pull it in. Post has got his fifth rebound right now in the game. 152 left to play here in the second quarter. Three-pointer. Heel sinks the triple. Heel’s got nine. You know, this is He’s role. He’s out there to score as much as possible. The three for Dunic and again Los Angeles with a triple. The wheel. Come at us and we’re coming right back at you. A little back and forth from long range. I love it. That’s a terrific answer there. Healed outside over LeBron. Lakers with the rebound. Kic has got rebound number five here tonight. Outside James. Smooth finish inside by LeBron. And the total package. James is so much fun to watch. Here’s PMski guarded by Donic. Two free throws coming up and they call the shooting foul. The Warriors shooting their fifth and sixth free throws of the game. And just to mention, a season ago, they were very comfortable at the line, hitting about 78% of their free throws. That free throw missing and the Lakers with some changes. Andre Aiden’s check in for Vanderbilt and it’s Austin Reeds and for Gabe Vincent. Grace Jackson Davis has checked in for Golden State and he’s good on the second. Here’s Donic. He’s got 17. Pass to Hatchima. Reeves outside. Back to Hatchima. Shot clock at six. High arcing shot and it’s Donic missing. Warriors trail by four. About 3 seconds between shot and game clock. Jackson Davis finds Moody. Some nice passing by Golden State, but Jensky’s shot is good. The ball distribution was there. I mean, outstanding work all the way around. And here is Donic. And it’s blocked. It’s going to be out of bounds. Los Angeles will retain possession. Let’s take a second look at that fantastic block. Such great timing, defensive awareness, too. When you have to face a defender that can reject you like this, it certainly can change your approach from deep three-point territory. And some good action through the first two quarters as we reach halftime. Los Angeles on top. They lead by a bucket. 2K Sports back in a moment here in Los Angeles. And as we get into this third quarter, as we’ve seen so far, neither team able to create much separation on the scoreboard yet. Curry has been sensational. No problems fighting his way to the rim in this one. A lot of points in close. Yeah. You know what, guys? They gave him too many free runs to the hoop in the first half. I think they’ve got to be a lot tougher on him. Body him up. Be physical with him. And so Curry will bring it up for the Warriors. a two-point game. So for the Golden State Warriors right now in the back court, Roshi Curry and Pajimki, Jimmy Butler is out there with Heel. And it’s Green in at center. This is what separates Green from most bigs. A point forward who excels at passing. And here’s Donic following the three-pointer by Buddy Heel. Shooting foul as the whistle blows. He’ll shoot two free throws. That one is unhealed. You know, it’s inevitable that a player’s physical abilities diminish over the course of a career, but the thing that stands out to me about LeBron James is that he never lost his insatiable drive to win. Guys, if anything, he’s gotten stronger. Free throw good, James. and James considered a franchise talent without question. This guy is the complete package. And both free throws good for LeBron. Now here’s Green. Pass to Penski. Now here’s healed. Launches a three. Rebounded by Deon Green. Eightton’s got his seventh rebound here tonight. Green against James. Donic with it. And a wide open look for Himura. The shot’s good on the assist by Donic. Donic has got four assists in the game. Green against Dayton. Here’s Pvski outside for Curry. No good on the triple. Lakers lead by four. Here’s Donic. Donic converts inside. I know Donic takes pride in being able to produce for his team and he’s doing it at a high level here. Donic against Curry off the run and the layup is up and in. Curry’s got 32 points in the game. That’s the kind of aggressive and assertive play they need as we get closer and closer to crunch time. Aton finds Hatchima. Now, Donic. Donic brushes off the contact and hits. Oh, that’s a terrific pass. Aiden with the advanced skill level, he’s just going to get better with time. Pass to He Curry with it. Guarded by Donic. That one’s good. The Laker lead is cut down to three on the bucket from Stephen Curry. And it seems as if someone got their signals crossed. If he can wind up that open from three-point range, I’m sure that was not a part of the game plan. Really, really good at recognizing the gaps and getting the ball to the rim. And we’ve got a timeout called by Steve Kerr looking for a breather. And maybe just one or two things to talk about. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. Just over two and a half minutes gone by here in the second half. Green against Aiden. Left side. Curry trying to break that ice cold streak. Good work defensively by Hatchim. And so James will bring it up for Los Angeles. Leading by five. Looking for Aiden. He gets it in there. Hammers the alleyoop through. I love the play call. Aiden’s a well-coordinated athlete. You know he has the reach. Give him a chance to go up and get it. Now here’s Green pass to Pajinski and here is Curry. Curry making it look so easy. And all of a sudden that three puts them in striking distance, guys. He’s had that shot working all night. You bet he has. I mean, working overtime. The triple’s been his bread and butter in this ball game. Nothing but. Sweet butter. Eighton sets the pick for Reeves. And there’s eight. And that’s good on the assist by Reeves. Reeds has got four assists in the game. Warriors trail by six. Outside Green, three-pointer heel, and another three for Golden State. And perimeter scoring, I have to imagine it was a topic of discussion at halftime. Certainly. I mean, they saw a weakness in the perimeter defense and took advantage of it. Now, here’s James. He’s got nine. Donic left side. Just five on the clock. Oh, an easy two from Donic. This team really feeds off of one another in terms of their energy. Perhaps the case simply that some kind of motivational speeches at halftime got both of these teams fired up. Count it. And the Laker lead has been cut down now to just three on the bucket from Curry. And the shooting mechanics of Curry, they are as pure as anybody who’s ever played. He’s such a dangerous shooter and scorer. Now here’s LeBron over Healed. The rebound by Heel. Well, I tell you what, he’s going to put a lot of pressure on their perimeter shooters if he can’t convert those chances. Steph Curry on the attack. How about the quickness on the drive from Curry the moment he finds his opening, that guy is off to the races passes to Reeves. Here’s Aon. He’s got 13. Here’s Hatchim offline with his three. break. Their offensive approach has been rock solid here and they’re finding the weak spots in the V and attacking. Lakers have gone seven and nine from the field to start this second half. Some tremendous shooting from them. Luca with the crafty shot fake. Outstanding at tricking the defense. Let’s take a moment here to get your guys take on scoring so far for the Lakers. You know, all game long they’ve imposed their will on the interior, scoring a lot of points in the painted area. And during this game, they sliced the D apart by just attacking the rim. Flat out dominating them inside. That free throw good from Donic. Moody’s check in for Heel. The free throw is good from Donic. And here are the Warriors now. They trail by three. Curry pass it to Moody. inside and stolen by Eaton. And here’s Tageic from the arc. The Warriors pull it in. And the great shooters know when they’ve got enough opening to go for the three. I didn’t think it was a bad choice on that possession. Now here’s Moody. Nothing on the board. Donic with it and Curry picks him up defensively and that one’s good. Donic. You know the moment Luca gets loose now his shot is off. Great quick release for the big guy. Curry pass it to Moody to the paint trying to find Green. He’s got it. Great pass to set up the layin. Green’s got his second basket of the game. I like the play call. Very solid. Making perfect use of the pick to get a great look. Rogers outside. Shot from Trump. Jimmy Butler pulls it in. Warriors trail by three. And foul on the shot. He’ll shoot two at the free throw line. Oh, I like how Butler uses his body in the paint. Excellent at forcing the issue and getting the call close to the rack. The Warriors shooting their seventh and eighth free throw attempts for the game right here. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. And the first one at the line is good. And it’s been an outstanding game for them at the free throw line. Not missing their chances when they get them. And the Lakers making a change here. Labas checked in. Off on that one. So he goes one for two at the line. You know, when you’re looking to create a culture, a championship type culture for your team, you want guys like JB, guys that are tough, accountable, and consistent. Showing the quickness right there. Just tough to keep up with it. Green. The pass to Moody. Golden State moving it around. Back to Green. There’s the three. Good on the triple. Green’s got seven points in the game. You’ve got to respect Green at the arc. If he gets open out there, he can make you pay. Outside James. Pass to Lavia. Six on the shot clock. Donic against Curry. And it’s Donic missing the Warriors trail. Donic with the steel. And now the fast break. Donic with the ball. Here’s Laabia. Back to Donic. Six to shoot. Got it. Good job in the low post. Donic has got 31. And it’s Curry with the ball bringing it up for the Golden State Warriors. It’s a three-point game. Pass to Moody for the tie. Linkers with the rebound. Bic has got his seventh rebound of the game with that last one. Here’s Laoria. Donic feeling it out. Three-pointer. Pajinski grabs the board. Pajimski’s got nine rebounds in the game. Getting it done. Curry with it and he has 42. Pocket six. from past the ark. They get it again. Moody somehow ignores the tight D and gets the way up. Moody’s got his first basket. Second chance points always hurt. Just not enough effort to block out. Hey, guy standing around spectating. I mean, you got to get in there and get tough. Now, here’s Donic. He has 31. And Donic with the triple. You cannot give Luca any space out beyond the arc because he’ll make you pay every time. Now here’s Moody guarded closely looking to end his cold spell and James pulls it down. Not a whole lot going down for him at this point. He just can’t buy a break. Pass to Donic. Eightton sets the bit for Re and Aton throws it down. A towering presence on the offensive glass. Aiden uses his kite well to keep possessions alive. Here’s Pensky. He’s defended by Reed. Shoots the three. A rebound by the Lakers. Early on he tried to shoot his way out of this funk, but later in the game now he might want to just give it up and look for his teammates to do the score. Up top Reeves. He’s defended by Pajki to the inside. The fade away. Warriors with the rebound. Green’s got rebound number nine now. What an effort here tonight. Outside Curry. There’s 47 seconds left in the third and that’ll be two free throws coming up. Officials on the call with the foul. It’s on Luca Donic. These are his third and fourth free throw attempts of the game. And and over the course of last year, he was up over 90%. And with a stroke like that, you see why. Yeah, that’s a great asset to have, guys. For any team coming down the stretch in close games, you got a guy who’s confident and very good at the line. When he steps up there, you feel good about it. They throw good Curry and the Lakers with some changes. Vanderville comes in for DeAndre Aton. And it’s Hachimura in for James. He hits both from the strike. Lakers leading by four outside. Pass to Reeves. Vanderbilt setting the pick for Reeves. That one no good. Warriors shooting straight 49% from the field. Now Moody. from outside the arc and he caught that pass in full stride on his way to the big slam. I don’t think you can sleep on Butler’s passing ability now. I mean, he’s quite good at knifing the rock through the defense on time and on target, especially in these screening roles. Here’s Hatchim. The shots good on the assist by Donic. Donic has got his fifth assist in this one. It’s been all about Luca Dauch for LA. What an amazing quarter. There was absolutely no stopping him. We come back right after this. Well, what a terrific game it’s been so far with this fourth quarter sure to bring more pressure packed basketball. Here’s Vincent. We’ve got Hatchima. Vincent is out there with James. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt. And it’s Loravia in the three. The small. That’s the Laker five. Not sure what the defense was thinking. I mean, you can’t leave this guy open from deep. Warriors trail by eight. And here is Moody. Pass to Curry. Three-pointer. And Curry comes right back with a three. And you got the feeling that was coming. Curry loves coming back with a three of his own. LeBron kicks to Vanderbilt. Hatimura the pass to LeBron. Nice ball movement here by the Lakers. Fires the three. The rebound by Post. Post has got his seventh rebound here tonight. There’s the lob to the hoop and stolen by LeBron. Ander on the break. James all the way to the rack. You know, LeBron plays a very mistakefree game usually in the open court and when he’s out on the break, the points are almost a guarantee. Outside Curry, the three rebounded by the Lakers pass to Vincent deflects the pass and it’s out of bounds. Nice touch by Curry. Gets a finger on it but just can’t quite come up with the steal. Clearly a careless pass. He got away with one there. We’ve gone about a minute and a half into the fourth quarter. Vanderbilt finds Hatchima over Moody. Make it five for 10 with him in that bucket. No question James has the green light from anywhere. That that mid-range is just another area where he’s dangerous. Now here’s Moody. That’s to Curry. There’s the pick. puts up a deep three and the Warriors miss again. Lakers leading by nine and we’re around 2 minutes into the fourth quarter here. Here’s Vincent. Fouled in the act of shooting. gets the bucket anyway. So, a three-point play chance for him and giving up some inches inside, but makes up for it with an aggressive stop. Yeah, you know, with that size difference, that’s not an easy shot. I mean, I don’t care how close to the rim he is, that’s a tough shot. Pajki, he’s checked in for the Warriors. Warriors trail by 12 down low. Here’s Curry. Misses the baby hook for Los Angeles. They’ve gone an outstanding four or five from the field in the fourth quarter so far. In the corner, it’s James. Pass to Vincent. Here’s Larabia. Sinks the three-pointer. Yeah, letting it rip. They’re just having fun right now. Yeah, offensively they’ve just been rolling. Impossible to stop. The Warriors have gone one of four since the end of the third quarter. Now, here’s Curry. They need this. Curry getting it done inside. Given the size disadvantage, you have to have a lot of confidence to take that shot. And you know what? He does. I mean, in the NBA, you’ve got to have ways to score over defenders of all sizes. Hatchim down low. Jackson Davis defending. The defense ready for him on that possession. They had to be cuz he is so strong in the paint. They get it back. Pass to Moody inside. Here’s Pacheki. Here’s Post. That three off the mark. Here are the Lakers. They’re on a 13 to five run. Now, here’s James. He’s defended by PMski. Lets the three fly. Nice shot by LeBron. No good. And it’s Curry with the ball, bringing it up for the Golden State Warriors. Trailing by 13. Pass to post. And here is Curry defended by Vincent beyond the ark. And again for three. Burries his 10th triple of the game. Unbelievable. Lakers leading by 10. James in the high post. Vanderbelt. The pass to Larabia. Count that bucket. Moravi has got eight points here in this quarter. And nice job taking what the defenders gave him, but these guys need a gut check right now. Well, that’s exactly the kind of defense that’s gotten him into the hole. Here’s Curry. Crrames the 19-footer. Curry’s got 54 points. Just shows you how impressive Curry’s shooting ability is that he can adjust for any distance. Here’s Larabia defended by Moody. No question he got bumped on that shot. Yeah, the officials didn’t need to talk that one over. It was obvious. The first one falls and some changes here for the Lakers. Aton, he’s checked in for Vanderbilt. Austin Reeves comes in for James and Luca Donic subbed in for Gabe Vincent. No good on the second free throw. Moody with it. He’s picked up by Donic. Lakers leading by 11. Here’s Lorabia. Hedge passes to Aton. Reeves outside. Five to shoot. Goes up on the top of the key. The Warriors pull it in. Post has got doubledigit rebounds now in the game. To the middle. Here’s Jackson Davis. Had a chance there to cut it to single digits, but it’s off target. They get a hand on it. Reeves the pass to Hatchet Murray. Don with it to the paint. Pass to Hatchet Murray. They grabbed their own miss. Nice ball movement here by the Lakers. And here is Donic. Takes the three. The Warriors pull it in. Post has got rebound number 11 for him here tonight. Here’s Moody. And there’s the foul. It’ll go on Moses Moody. That’s foul number two for him. And really just a great play to sacrifice his body and take the charge. Heads up action there. Reading the play and then beating him to the spot. Well done. Reeves the pass to Eightton. Back to Reeves now. Donic guarded by Ker on the left block. Tried to bank it in but he misses. Warriors trail by 11. Looking to get it going. fouled on the shot and picks up two points. So, one free throw coming up. Man, what strength from Butler refuses to be tied down or held down. Excellent concentration on the and one. Find the lane. Find the length. One shot. Here’s James. Pass to Eaton. and Aton throws it down. And the allaround offensive game Aiden has is just fantastic. Capable of scoring in many different ways. Now here’s Green outside. Curry good as Green picking up the assist. Curry’s got 57 points. Another bomb for him right now. His three-point shooting might be the key to cutting that lead. I don’t think there’s any question about it. I mean, as long as he keeps knocking him down, it might as well keep going back to the well. No reason to let it run dry. Keep firing that thing. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hatchima. He’s checked in for Vanderbilt. Time now to turn to our sideline reporter, David Aldridge. David, hey guys. JJ Reick’s message with his team was simple. He told them, “Don’t look at the scoreboard. We have to play like we’re tied.” They want their team to sustain that level of effort and we’ll see how it works out. Kevin, thank you David. Hey, you want to try to guard LeBron, good luck. I mean, the King is impossible to stop. Fast, strong, smart, tough, creative, draws lots of fouls. And he knocked down the first one. So after making the first, he goes one for two. And here’s Green. He’ll bring it up for the Golden State Warriors. Eight-point game. Pajki. And he banks in the layup. And he’s now got the double double. 11 points and 10 rebounds. Pass to Hatche Murray. Aton with it headed by Greenon kicks to Donic over Curry. The offensive rebound a screen on Curry and here’s Page from the Arden. The rebound by He brick after brick after brick. I mean, that’s been the story for him this quarter. I mean, he’s got to brain it in down the stretch here. Shooting two. That’s good from Stephen Curry. And so he makes both from the line. Lakers leading by four. Reeves with it on the wing. Dic. LeBron outside. Shot clock at five. Takes a three. And it’s Austin Reeds with the three. And the Lakers lead by seven. And that’s LeBron, one of the best front court playmakers. That is something you just can’t teach. Mr. Curry over again. What an avalanche. Make that 61 points. Yep. Everything is going his way right now. Lakers shooting 52% from the floor. Nice work so far from them. healed against James and off the front iron and in it goes. His overall size and strength really sets James apart from the rest of his peers when you think about his skill set inside. Pajki with it. He’s defended by Reeds. A shot by Pajki. No good. Lakers lead by seven. Hatimura the pass to Eightton. LeBron James against Hele. Oh, James muscles it in. Fighting through contact. Not easy trying to corral LeBron when he’s focused on scoring. Good luck with that. And so Steve Kerr calls for the timeout. Clearly he’s got something his players need to hear. And immediately Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Warriors trail by nine. Now here’s Curry. Fires the three. The rebound by James. James has got six rebounds in the game. Rogers outside. Good. And the assist goes to LeBron. And it’s an 11-point Laker lead. Big miscommunication on defense. He recognizes it and quickly takes advantage. Boy, the defense looks shell shocked. I mean, they’re on the ropes right now on their heels. Healed outside. Pass to Green. Curry with it. Now guarded by Eightton. Curry can’t get it to go. And Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. The biggest lead of the game, 15 points. Now here’s Donic and he gets the bucket. Donic has got 38 points. And with the lead, I like the strategy here. continue to get the ball to guys who can do something with it. If it’s working, keep working. That’s what I say. Keep the pressure on. And he gets the friendly spin and that one drops. A minute 20 left in the fourth quarter. Lakers leading by 11. Now Donic. Pass to Hatchimo. Here’s Reeves. He’s defended by PMski. Clock at four. 18 ft out. Reeves can’t hit. Golden State’s gone beyond the arc seven times here in the fourth. What a move at the rim. But Steve, I’m talking filthy. Butler punching it and getting his teammates on the bench amped up. There’s 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter of this one. Pass to James with it. Now here’s Donic. Shoots over Curry. And it’s Curry with the rebound. I think it’s safe to call this move a wrap. Yep, I agree with you. Chalk it up. W in the bag. Drills the three-pointer. You see why they trust Curry. I mean, give him the rock and let him make a play. And an intentional foul right there. A bucket here would give them a bit more room. True. But but no need to rush it. Play smart. And so they foul intentionally. drops the first one. A seven-point lead and he hits both free throws here. So now it’s an eight-point game. Timeout called the Warriors. We’ve got 22 seconds left in the fourth. Guys, your thoughts. Trying to keep hope alive, but but I don’t see them making a comeback. You know what? I’m sure crazier things have happened. Or maybe not. It’s It’s a long shot, though. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. We’ve got 22 seconds left to play in the final quarter. Out of bounds, the Lakers will take possession. Get up. Get up. And so it’s the Lakers with it. The biggest lead of the game, 15 points. Reeves outside and so Los Angeles takes the win. Some good moments throughout this one, but they have the clear advantage down the stretch. Yeah, I mean I love the way they executed on both ends of the floor. completely under control for the vast majority of the game. And whenever there was a misstep, they just didn’t allow it to fester and that’s why they’re going to walk away with the win. And that about wraps it up for David Aldridge, Greg Anthony, and Clark Kell. This is Kevin Harland saying thanks for being with us. But first, let’s reveal our player of the game, Luca Donic. Well, Grant, what should we expect in a veteran heavy matchup like this? You know, BA, it typically means we’ll get a clean game. These guys have been around for a while and know how to take care of the basketball. Let’s take a look at our starters for the Golden State Warriors. Curry and Pods make up the back court. Green out there with Jimmy Butler. And it’s heel in at the small forward position. Now here’s Donic. Here’s Reeves. The shot is good. Donic making the play. You know, the instincts of Luca Donuch are second to none. Such a natural playmaker. Green. The pass to heal. Now Pajimsky. He’s covered by Reeves, but Jimsky shot is good. Pick works well there, but the defense left a lot to be desired. Yeah, that just comes down to a lack of effort. The defender has to do a better job fighting through the screen. Now, here’s Reeds. Pass to James. Aimura outside. And the officials will call the illegal screen here. The screener was leaning a bit right there. His feet may not have been planted. Pretty obvious call by the officials. Look, guys get away with this all the time, but on this occasion, he got caught. Time now to hear from our reporter, Ally Leforce. I did briefly speak with JJ Reic. I asked him about Jimmy Butler and what his defensive scheme is for him. And coach said to not let him bully us from the interior and mid-range. We want to push him as far out as possible. We have to play tough. Let’s see if they’re able to accomplish this, guys. Appreciate the report, Ally. Oh my. Tight defense, but Donic just muscles it in. Heel finds Curry. Almost 2 minutes into the first here. Down to five on the shot clock. Sinks it from distance. Yeah, most of the time you assume Curry’s three ball is falling. That’s how good he is. Donic passes to James. Hatimura outside. Pass to James. Donic with it. And it’s good. With time running down on the shot clock, Donic has got his second basket. Starting to find his rhythm. He’s cooking and he knows it. Yeah, when he gets engaged this early in the game, it’s bad news for the defense. He can roll this start throughout the rest of the game. The Lakers have gone three of three so far from the floor. And he’ll throw the foul. He’ll head to the line for two. That’s on Jimmy Butler. Richard, it’s nice to have the versatility of a guy like Hachimura. Equally comfortable at either forward position. Well, he’s got the size and strength of a modernday NBA power four, but he also has the ability to stretch the floor and knock down a three. That’s a nice combo. No good on that one. And the second free throw is good. And Steve Kerr calls timeout. And we might see some changes. Coach potentially looking to adjust. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Just over two and a half minutes played here in the first. Donic against Curry. Green with a screen on Aimura. Lets it fly. Rebounded by the Lakers. That was a good look for him from mid-range, but just couldn’t make the defense pay. Donic outside. Jacks up a three. Rebounded by Green. And so it’s Green who brings up the ball for Golden State. Trailing by two. Oh, it’s stolen by Aimura. Knocks it loose. Curry with a steal. Oh, and makes it with the kiss. Curry’s got five points. And you’re asking for trouble when you give Curry this positioning. He’s so efficient down there. Hayden with a screen to the middle and he takes it in for the layup off a very nice feed. Pounding it inside early and often setting a physical tone. Knocked away shot is good. Pajimski’s got his second basket of the game. just taking it right to the rim and no one was there to greet him. Easy possessions like that literally are just a gift. You just dream of them. He’ll gladly take those. Now here is James. Misses the baby hook and he misses the go-ahead basket. Probably should have scored there. He usually does from deep. Reeves sends it home from three-point land. He’s got five. You don’t want to let him get into a rhythm from out there outside. Healed up top. Checked by James. And here’s Curry for three. The Lakers with the rebound. And he’s going for the oop here. Green against Aimura. Green. The pass to Curry. Back to Green. Pass to Heel from deep. Oh my goodness. He’ll go to the line with a chance at a four-point play. It’s going to be on DeAndre Aton. He’s getting his first free throw attempt of the game here. And the Lakers making a change here. Larabi has checked in. And that one drops. So now they lead by one. The Lakers have gotten five of seven shots to fall. Donic against Curry for three. James rebounded by Green. Golden State has gone two of five from deep outside. Pajki. Green with a screen on Reeves. Here’s Pajki using his post moves to get the two points. Pajimski’s got six. And so it’s the Lakers with it. Donic passes to Reeves. And here’s Aiden. James deciding where to go with it. Over healed. Nice spin off the left rim and in. Powerful move by LeBron inside. Not letting anything stop him from getting his shot. Pass to Pajimski. Healed against James. Back to Pajki. Six on the shot clock. Green with a screen on Donic. Sinks another one. He’s on a roll. Starting four for four. Well, the defense allowed that one. He had a clear path to the cup. Now here’s Reeves. Now Donic. And you can’t let Donets get this type of positioning because then you’re pretty much forced to foul him. And a look now at how the offensive approach has been going here so far for the Warriors. They’ve made a point to take what’s given to them in the mid-range. The jumpers are falling for them so far. Yeah, we got to talk about how pestering they’ve been on defense, forcing turnovers and finding ways to score off them. And he knocks down the first one. And Donas is a walking triple double threat. His versatility and confidence is really special. Donic hits them both. And Curry’s got the ball here for the Warriors. And Steve Curry calls timeout here. He’s going to talk it over with his guys. Hurry up. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Now here’s Pajki. He’s covered by Reeves outside heel. Green. The pass to Curry. Five to shoot. Fires from deep. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. Hayden’s got four rebounds now. Curry with a steal. Here’s Pachki. That drops and it comes off an assist from Curry. But Jimky’s got 11. And they keep trading punches. Both teams in a groove early. You have to think at this point the winner will be the one to settle in on defense. Now here’s Donic. Six points for him with the teardrop and he gets that one. Give him eight points. Now the size and strength of Donic can go overlooked. I mean, he’s more than capable of scoring there in the paint. Pass to Curry. Green with a screen on Donic. Lets it fly. Curry shot is off. The Lakers trail on the wing. Reeves. Donic is doubled and he hits it to tie the game. getting enough shots in close to play inside out. Golden State has gone three of seven from beyond the arc in the first heel against James left side. Healed shot clock at five and he was fouled while in the act of shooting. So, he’ll take two free throws. Fearless play from Butler. Defenses should know he’s going to try and draw a foul while shooting. This is his second trip to the free throw line in this one. First one falls for him. Vincent checked in for Los Angeles. Both good from the line that time. For a star like him, you get lots of opportunities at the line and he’s great at cashing them in. back to Donic. Some deep three-point land. Here’s Aiden. And Aton with the stuff. Just a strong sequence there from DeAndre Aiden. The Warriors have got eight of 15 shots to go. Pass to post. Jackson Davis’s screen lets a three fly. Rebounded by the Lakers. And how about LeBron? Even if he’s no longer the clearcut best player in the league, he can still take over a game on game. Oh, make no mistake. He is still the best when he needs to be. Absolutely. Has a switch that gets flipped when he needs it. He’s not on for 48 minutes, but he can definitely turn it on for a few. Pass to Jackson Davis. Inside James with a steal. Vincent outside. Here’s James. Shoots from the right block. Can’t connect from short range. And the shooter had very little space on that attempt. I’m sure they’ll think twice about shooting against him next time. Pass the post. Here’s the three. Knocks down the long J. The allaround game of Butler. He’s all about sharing the rock and getting his guys involved. Donic passes to James. Here’s Labia. The three is up. It’s counted. One for one to start the game. And that’s how you up the ante. Comes right back at him. Yeah, I love the competitive fire right there. You drain a triple on us and I’m coming for my revenge. Jackson Davis’s screen to the paint. Kenny floats it in for the easy two. Credit the sweet setup on that one. Selfless play by Butler using the pick and roll to move the defense and get his guy a good look. James outside. There’s 49 seconds left to play in the first quarter. And he might have thrown himself off when he saw how much space he had from three pass to post to the inside. And there’s a 3second violation. Some changes for Los Angeles. Vanderbilts checked in for Aton. Connect comes in for James. And Reeves is subbed in for Luca Donic. Los Angeles has gone just two for six from the arc here in the first. Vanderbilt a screen on Curry. Takes a three. Benson can’t hit. And so it’s Curry with it. He brings it up for the Warriors. The basket drops and he gets fouled on the shot. One free throw coming his way. Sometimes there just no stopping Curry. He’s just too skilled. And he’ll be shooting his first free throw. And so it’s the Lakers with it. It’s a three-point game. And here’s Reeves. puts up a deep three. Oh, it got in time. Wow. Whoa. The heave to beat the buzzer. Yeah, that’s one in a 100 type shot. But hey, that is why you just throw it up there. Oh, what a performance by Luca Donuch. He has been the story for the Lakers. He put together 10 points in the quarter. Back after this. And it’s been a pretty even game here after one quarter of play. Guys, what stands out to you from the Lakers in this one? You can really see the strategy coming in. Get the ball into the painted area. And let me tell you, when you establish a physical edge, it gives you a mental edge, too. So, it’s the Warriors now. We’ve got Austin Reeds. He’s out there with Gabe Vincent. Jared Vanderbilt out there with Connect. And it’s Larabia in at the four. That’s who’s in the game for the Lakers. Credit their discipline. They’ve been working for high percentage shots. The Lakers trail. Reeves with the ball inside. And Vanderbilt gets it to go on the assist by Reeves. He finds a shooter in motion and is confident he can threat him with the lead pass. Well done. Now here’s Moody. He’s covered by Reeves. Pass to Jackson Davis. Just five on the clock. It’s stolen away. Vincson outside and he got the whistle on the way up. So he’ll be headed to the line for a pair. It’s on Stephen Curry. Well, Grant, with all the parody and competition in the league today, there are still those teams piling up losses. Yeah, BA. And with teams like the Thunder excelling, it’s almost like youth is no longer an excuse. But some rebuilds take longer than others. And now they lead as the free throw drops in for him. And that’s good as he hits both shots. Golden State has gone four of nine so far from the perimeter. The three from Curry. Vanderville pulls it in and he continues to cast away, but the results just haven’t been there tonight. Outside Reeves Vanderbilt a screen on Curry to the paint. Oh, how about that? Oh, and he brings it down with a two-handed jam. Oh man, he got fancy with that finish. He may be trying to provide the spark they need to break this one open. Closing in on two minutes played here in the second. Now here’s Curry. He’s covered by Vincent from deep three-point land. They grab their own miss. And when the game is this close, you have to go all out. He certainly understands his role, huh? When the shot goes up, just crashes the offensive glass. He’s just giving them everything he has. It’s why his teammates appreciate and enjoy playing with him. Here’s Vincent. Sweet little floater. Vincent’s got four points now in the quarter. Showing off with the floater game. Not a shot you can swat. Now here’s Curry. Not a lot of room. Fires the three. Oh, Curry doing what he does best. Even a half court shot is a good shot for Curry. That’s how good of a shooter he is. Come to me. Come to me. Outside Reeves. Pass to Vanderbilt. The rebound by Post and out of bounds. Los Angeles will have it. And the Lakers making a change here. Aimura’s checked in for Los Angeles. They’ve gotten three or four field goals in the second quarter. And that one’s good. Labia. Labia has got five. I just love when teams make it work down low. Now here’s Moody. He’s covered by Reeves. Pass to post outside. Moody. It’s rebounded by Los Angeles. outside Reeves. And a little under three and a half minutes elapsed here in the second quarter. Down low from close range and Vanderbilt slams it in. Oh, nothing soft about that. Was not going to be denied. Just took the dunk that was right in front of him. And that’s his MO physical. get in position for the putback and throw it down. The defense got to know that’s what he’s looking to do. And plays like that one can make the difference in a close game. And it definitely got the bench on their feet, too. And you can feel the jolt of energy that he sent through his team. That is a huge boost in a tight game like this. Shot is good by Reed. Oh, just an easy reverse for him. He has nice feel and touch around the bucket pass to post. Here’s Curry. He’s covered by Vincent. Here’s Santos. Launches a three and it’s good. Assisting on the play was Curry. Santos has gotten himself going with a triple. His first basket of the game. Now here’s Reeves. Moody defends. Fires for three. Doesn’t drop. He’s four for five. The Warriors have gotten five of seven shots to fall in the second to the middle from outside the ark. Offensive board. Pass to Santos now. Jackson Davis. Just five to shoot. Golden State needs to get off a shot. That one’s good. This game is all even. Jackson Davis has gotten four this quarter and finding his teammate in stride. He led his guy perfectly. Vincent outside pass to Reeves. Lets it go from deep. Fires in the triple. Reeves has got 13. I know what they say, defense wins championships, but you need some bucket getters, too. And his defenses have adjusted to Austin Reeves scoring. Richard, he’s countered with the pass. Austin Reeves doesn’t get enough credit for how good his handle is, how much it’s improved. It’s allowed for him to score, get into different places, and make these passes. And we’ve got a timeout call by JJ Reick. I think right now he must be looking at some adjustments. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. LeBron, he’s checked in for Los Angeles. Donic comes in for Vincent. Now here’s Aimura and the ball out of play. The Warriors will have it. Vanderville against Green. Pass to Curry. A deep three. Vanderbilt pulls it in. That is not a guy you want to allow open looks from range. Lucky for the defense, he just couldn’t get it to go. Machimura finds Reeves. 11 seed out and that one’s long. Golden State has gone two of six from distance here in the second quarter. Healed against James. Pass to Curry. Three-pointer. Fourth three. Stephen Curry. Such a quick release. As soon as the ball touches his hands, it’s gone. Curry against Donic. Reeves with the ball. Six to shoot. And give him another one. He’s six of eight and looking solid. And it’s Green with the ball for Golden State. Pass to Curry all alone. Dashic pulls down the board. Oh man, that’s tough. That’s definitely one he’d like back. Almost too wide open. Now here is James. Guarded by Heel. Nice work inside from James. Okay, King James. Look, there is no stopping Braun when he gets on the balance. Pass to Curry from behind the ark. That won’t go either for Curry. And the defense got away with one there. I mean, that’s a shot he typically makes. Outside Vanderbilt. Back to James. And they doubled up. Donic. Curry. The Warriors have gotten half their shots to fall in the second. Eight for 16. The pretty finish from Butler there. I wouldn’t say Butler seeks contact, but he sure doesn’t turn it down. Los Angeles has gone one of two from deep in the second quarter. And the shot counts. He’s fouled. And it’s a chance for a three-point play. And let’s get your take, guys, on the scoring breakdown for Los Angeles. Well, they’re off to a good start getting it inside and scoring at close range. Solid fundamentals so far in this one. And following off of what you said, they’ve really done a good job distributing the ball, passing up good shots for great ones. Hayes has checked in for Los Angeles. Connect comes in for Reeves. That’s good from Donic. And Steve Kerr calls timeout. He’s going to gather the troops and talk it over. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Warriors trail by three. Here’s Pajimski. 11 points in the game. Here we go. Floats one up and Butler inside. Excellent touch from Butler showing he can be tricky with the floater. Catching the D offguard. Aimura outside. Back to Donic. throwing his weight around and their offense tonight is Luca, Luca, and more Luca. When he’s on, it’s an opponent’s worst nightmare. Outside, Pajki to the paint. Here’s He LeBron with the rebound. The Lakers lead by three. That one drops. Three for six now. And this is his game. He’s not going to settle or try anything further away from the rim. He knows who he is. Green. A screen. Kick it and it’s good on the layup. 12 points for him. How talented is Butler? I mean, just so adept at carving out some space inside and converting. And Don puts up a deep three. Wasted no time with that shot, but it’s off the mark. Takes the three. Here’s Green. It’s good. And he drew contact on the shot. So, he will go to the line. A three-point play opportunity. He’s getting his first free throw attempt of the game here. And the Lakers making a change here. And it’s tied up with that one. The quintessential glue guy. Green does all the dirty work. You need one of these guys on your team because he has such a diverse skill set. Now here’s Hachimura. Hayden with a screen and here’s Donic outside. They get it back. Controls the rebound and the put back and the Lakers lead by two. I always love the hard work on the glass. Just great activity. He’s got free throw attempts four and five here. And the first one at the line is good. And he makes both free throws. 105 left in the second quarter. Pass to Aiden. Back to Donic. Outside. Reeves. And here’s Aiden. Green covering. Clock at four. The Lakers got to get one up. Late Clark. James from distance. Easy work. When you’re guarding LeBron, you have to give him something. So, the King, well, he’ll take a three-point basket to the inside. The Jimsky shot is good. Pajimski’s got 13. Rate of baskets assisted. It’s a stat I really like. It tells the story of how well you are playing team offense. Back to Donic. James outside over heel. James finds reads, kicks it to Donic. Let’s go with a three. Aiden tips it back in. Aiden’s gotten four this quarter. Now that takes serious effort and a light touch. No need to overdo it. Just lightly tip it in. And so a close game as we wrap up the first half of play. The Lakers on top up by three. Well, now a minute to check in with Ally Leforce. She’s courtside. Hey, Ally. Here with coach Steve Kerr. Your defense struggling to contain them in the first half. How do you remedy it? We got to get back in transition. We got to make them feel us. You know, they’re just running anything they want. We’ve got to at least disrupt the stuff they’re trying to do. Thank you, coach. All right, Ally. Thanks for that. We will see everyone right back after this break. Ready for the second half. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And after a fairly even first couple of quarters, this second half could turn out to be a great one as both teams trying to gain an edge. Stephen Curry having a dominant impact in this game. He’s been so disruptive defensively in the first half. His fast hands pick plenty of pockets. Not only does he have solid defensive instincts, he just plays extremely hard. And I know people might not realize this, but that is a skill and it is very difficult for the opposition. It is a recipe for disaster. And Curry’s got the ball here for the Warriors. They trail by three. Kicking off the second half. Here’s Steve Curr’s five. Curry and Pods make up the back court. Jimmy Butler out there with Green and it’s healed in at the three. The small forward. Unselfish offense leads to Butler getting something in rhythm. Here’s Donic. Luca against resistance. Assertive move. You can tell the game’s heating up a bit. And for the Warriors, their shooting has been great. 57% and finding ways to score consistently. Curry against Aiden. Green. The pass to Curry. The shot and that comes off the assist by Green. Curry’s got 18 points in the game on a night like tonight’s. Steph Curry is mustwatch basketball. He can score from anywhere. Pass to James and a miss there on the triple. Down low for the lead and that misses. That would have put him up. The Lakers have gone just one of three in the second half. Curry against Reeds. Now to Aimura puts up a three. Buries it from three. And the Lakers lead by three. All eyes on Luca. The defense forgot about his teammates. Now Green pass to Pajimski. Outside Curry tried to come right back with a three of his own, but it’s no good. Now here’s Donic. The D’s right on him. And with the stuff goes upon will throw down. They knew just when to pass him that ball. Rebound by the Lakers. James has got his fourth rebound in this one. Aimura. The pass to Reeds and another three for the Lakers and adding to this lead right now. Riding a wave of momentum. Yeah, they’ve locked in during this stretch. If they keep it up, their lead will only continue to grow. And Steve Kerr calls timeout here. Coach wants to speak to his guys, maybe alter some of the game plan. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. A little under 2 and and half minutes gone by in the third quarter. Curry passes to heal. Back to Curry. A shot to stop the run. Connects from downtown. Curry’s got five points now in the quarter. Yeah, the sweet looking jumper of Steph. It just looks so pure coming out of his hands. Donic passes to Aimura. And now we’re 3 minutes into this third quarter of play. Oh, Luca with a deep one. And that’s how you up the ante. Come right back at it. Yeah, I love the competitive fire right there. You drain the triple on us and I’m coming for my revenge. And so he draws the foul headed to the line to shoot a pair. Playing with passion, Butler is never scared of a challenge. A wing who battles inside. And this is his fourth trip to the free throw line tonight. shooting two and he makes a first. So he gets them both. The Lakers lead by six. Just under three and 1/2 minutes played here in the third quarter. Shot is good by Reeves. Reeves has got 20 points. Love how selfless he is setting brick screens like this. Plays like that right there are what help create easy scoring opportunities. Now here’s Green pass to heel and there’s the drive over James and again it’s the Warriors missing for Los Angeles. They’ve gotten six of eight shots to go and looking good since the breaks. The pass to Donic. A chance to push it to double digits but it’s off the mark. Green against Aiden. Pass to heel. Now Pajinsky. The three is up. Kic grabs the miss outside. Reeves outside. Donic with it. He’s covered by Curry. Donic passes to Aiden. It’s picked off. Oh, and a fast break for the Warriors. All the way to the rim. Curry. Opportunistic steal by Butler. I mean, his fast hands get in the rock and he starts a break. Aimura outside. Konic outside. He buries it from three. Konic has got eight points in the quarter. And what kind of defense was that? You can’t give up wide open threes like that. What are you doing? Inside Curry. Oh, nice finish from the low block. That one’s good. And here’s Donic. Give him 23 outside. Reeves. Aimura outside. And there’s James from the ark. They get it back. Heel against Reeves. Pass to James. Shot clock at six. Aimura from long range and falls. Nice feed that time from James. Aimura’s got seven points. A smart decision maker with a versatile skill set. Hachimura always takes the shots that he’s comfortable with. Outside PJski back to Curry. Heel for three. nails it from beyond the ark. He’s gotten himself on the board with a three there. Love the response there from Heield. Matching threes. Pass to James. Reeves with a ball. 20 points for him. Donic is doubled.
NBA LIVE! Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers | August 16, 2025 | Warriors vs Lakers | 2K
Welcome to another exciting NBA 2K25 CPU vs CPU simulation!
Tonight’s showdown features the Golden State Warriors facing off against the Los Angeles Lakers in a high-intensity matchup. Expect dunks, threes, and clutch plays all throughout the game.
📅 Date: August 16, 2025
🎮 Game Mode: NBA 2K25 (CPU vs CPU)
📍 Matchup: Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers
📊 POLL TIME – WHO YA GOT?
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📌 DISCLAIMER: This is a fan-made simulation using NBA 2K25 (CPU vs CPU mode). This is not an official NBA broadcast. Content is created for entertainment, fan engagement, and visual storytelling purposes only.
