NBA LIVE! Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers | August 16, 2025 | Warriors vs Lakers | 2K25
So, Golden State will get the first possession. Curry against Donic. And that’s good. His first bucket of the game. You see how comfortable Butler is close to the bucket, taking what the defense gives him. That’s just smart basketball. Pass to James. Dantic outside. takes the three. First shot won’t go. Just terrible defense. I don’t know how he missed that shot. Oh, come on. Aimura outside. Here’s Reeves. Back to Aimura. No good that time. The Warriors go the other way with it. Shot from the wing. Goes back up and it’s good on the layin. Just taking it right to the rim and no one was there to greet him. Well, this early they should be showing a lot more energy on defense. It’s not there. Now here is James. Pass to Aiden. Just five to shoot. The fader. And again, no good by the Lakers. Very surprising that he came away empty there, especially given room to operate. Yeah, fearless play from Curry inside. Going up against tough defense and getting fouled while shooting. And for the Lakers, Clark, the last decade, they haven’t been as impressive. Well, you know, BA, there’s a reason for that. They’ve missed more playoff games in the last decade than the franchise’s entire existence. And a lot of it has been due to injuries. There’s no lack of talent. LeBron took on the challenge bringing the championship in the 19 and 20 season, but last year did not turn out as they were expecting. And a big part of it was injuries and really trying to adjust to new personnel. First one falls for him. So many of the hopes for this team rest on Curry’s shoulders. It’s an immense responsibility, but he carries it out with fire and optimism. And so Curry nails both of them. Two-part equation. You have to be aggressive enough to get to the line, then talented enough to sink them. Lets it fly from 18. No good. So, Golden State will take it the other way. Had around two minutes played here in the first quarter. Pass to Green. Check by James. And that one makes him two for two. He’s in his rhythm. Takes some handles for Butler to get the look he wants. Fun to see him create off the dribble like that. And that was the mobile one drive. Little resistance to the finish line. Yeah, he made that drive look easy, but that had a high degree of difficulty. Time out. Time out. Time called here. Los Angeles decides to talk it over. Things just aren’t going their way. He clearly wants to talk it over. And you know what, guys? If for nothing else, just to slow things down a little bit, change it up somewhat. Heat. Heat. Heat up here. Heat. Heat. unable to get the ball in bounds and they got called for a 5-second violation. First quarter of ball almost 2 and 1/2 minutes in outside Curry. Clock at six. Lets it go from 14. James with the rebound. The Lakers trail. Oh, and there’s the whistle on the shot. So, two free throws for him coming up. LeBron led the NBA and assist during his 2020 title season with the Lakers becoming the second oldest player ever to lead the league in that category. That free throw good from James. Man, that assist title for LeBron. An incredible accomplishment for someone of his size. Clark, I bet you didn’t know this, BA. Or maybe you did cuz you are a factoid machine. But the only player taller than LeBron to lead the league in the system, Wilt Chamberlain. When you throw in winning the bubble championship finals MVP, 2020 might have been Bra’s finest season. Now here’s Curry. No good on the triple for Los Angeles. They’ve gone 0 for four, missing their first four attempts. Donic right side and he drops in the layup off the glass. Boy, what balance from Donic. I mean, he never seems to get rattled even when he attracts contact on the way to score. Maintains his poise in those situations. Extremely well for a young player. Aimura with a rebound for Los Angeles. They’ve gone one of five to start things off. James passes to Aiden. Back to James. Green against Aimura. Reeves. The Warriors pull it in. Man, I can’t believe he blew that gimme, guys. Well, I know he’s frustrated about that. Curry against Donic. Oh, he goes up high for the two-handed slam and one move ahead of the defense. A solid pick and then the monster dunk to complete the play. Well done, boy. Picture perfect teamwork that time, guys. One guy sacrificing for the other. That’s how you succeed in this league. And count the basket. He was fouled and he’s going to the line for one more. And the Warriors making a switch here. Moody’s checked in. Yeah. What I appreciate about Aiden is that he wants to keep getting better. You have to be excited about his future. Oo, good finish at the rack off a slick feed. Good execution. They’re getting some short range looks here. Back to Donic. 43. That one. No good. The Warriors go the other way with it. And I’m surprised that didn’t go down. I mean, I’m sure he is, too. on the wing. Green Aimura covering and Reeves pulls it down. Los Angeles has gone 0 for three from downtown. Offensive rebound. Here’s Donic. Deflected. Known for being an outstanding defender, Butler takes a lot of pride in finding ways to get it done in all aspects of defense, including shot denials. Now, here’s Hachimura still getting warmed up offensively. No buckets yet in the game from him. And the bucket is good. Boy, at the offensive end, his game is so impressive. I mean, he’s a threat every time up the floor. Pass to Curry beyond the arc. rebounded by the Lakers and he almost made them regret defending him so loosely. Aimura the pass to Donic. Here’s Reeves. Oh, they get a hand on it. Out to James. Out of bounds as Los Angeles keeps possession. And that shot was going nowhere thanks to that aggressive swat. You know, you can’t ask for any better defense than that. He responded so fast to the shooter and it stifled him. Pass to Reeves. Shot clock at five. Second shot opportunity. And another shot and Aiden with the stuff. I mean, come on. A seven-footer with a 75 wingspan. Aiden beats everyone to the ball and converts easily. Green in the post working on Aimura. Aimura with the defensive effort. Back to Donic. Pass to Reeves inside. The ball’s knocked loose and we’re going to have a jump ball. The Lakers with the ball. Here’s Moody. Aimura covering. Donic against Curry. Pass to Moody. Six to shoot. Check by James and they force the shot clock violation. Great D and a new group getting ready for the Lakers. Hayes is checked in for Eightton. Vanderbilt comes in for Achi Mura. Smarts checked in for Reeves and Vincent subbed in for Donic. The Lakers trail. Here’s Vincent. Shoots over Curry. Vincent can’t hit. Golden State has gone 0 for four from deep to start. Start this one. That’s tipped. James right side over healed. That one’s good from James on the assist from Smart. And the Lakers lead by one. James clearly one of the best offensive talents of all time in the NBA. A special score with what seems to be a limitless arsenal. Time called here. The Warriors decide to talk it over. Things just aren’t going their way. He clearly wants to talk it over. And you know what, guys? If for nothing else, just to slow things down a little bit, change it up somewhat. No more heat. Heat. Heat. Here’s Curry outside. Heel outside. Curry pass to Jay. Now healed. Five to shoot. over Smart and again no good by Golden State. James up top. Here’s Vincent. James left side. Back to Vincent. Fires the three that falls. Nice feed that time from James. And now a four-point Laker lead. Back to Curry and there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. Well, the league has put an emphasis to crack down on illegal screens. Yeah, you know, he might have gotten away with that a few years ago, but not anymore. No way. Now you’ve got to be stationary on those screens. No extra hips or elbows or they’ll fall. And finished off by Hayes. And the lead increases on a crazy offensive sequence. Man, the dunk alone would have been incredible. Let alone the fact that it came off a pinpoint pass. Boy, I tell you what, they’ve got this team just a step away from being completely sleep. Healed for three. And the Warriors get it back. Another miss. They desperately need a bucket. Here’s Vincent. Pass to James. The three ball rebounded by Heield. The Warriors trailing. Puts up a three. The Lakers with a rebound. We’ve got 155 left to play in the first quarter. left side Vanderbilt and looks like an illegal pick was set that gets the ref’s attention. Time called here. The Warriors decide to talk it over. Failing to find a rhythm offensively, something that needs to change and change soon. And I think this timeout, guys, is where you draw up some plays that are guaranteed to create some high percentage shots. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And for the Warriors They’re shooting 28% in this first quarter. Here’s Curry. Sweet little floater. A skillful shot by Curry. He makes the short range floater look effortless. Pass to Vincent. Now here is James and he comes up with a bucket. James has got six. The defense knows they got to throw everything at James inside, but he still manages to power through it. Healed for three. And it’s Jimmy Butler with the foul. That’s his first foul of the game. Here are the Lakers now. They’re on a 20-6 run. Reeves has checked in for Los Angeles. Here’s Moody. Well, no scoring yet from him, but that’s likely to change from 11 ft away. Curry no good. If they play this right, they can go two for one. Yeah, they really have to work the clock right now. Pass to James. Here’s Reeves. And again, no good by the Lakers. And so it’s Golden State with it. They trail by six. Here’s Moody. guarded by Vanderbilt. Outside Curry. Shot clock at six. Launches a three. LeBron with the rebound. James has got four rebounds in the game. And that concludes the first quarter play. The Lakers on top. They lead by six. And we’ll get the second quarter underway on the other side of this break. And thanks again for tuning in. If you’re just joining us, we played through one quarter of action so far. Taking a look at the Lakers performance here, guys. What are your thoughts? It was pretty obvious. I mean, cashing in on extra opportunities. That’s how they built this early lead. Boy, grinding it out on the glass. They’ve really been working for those points. Grant, it’s a shooters league and we’re seeing more and more big men float out to the perimeter and knocking them down. Well, BA, the game has evolved and the shooting particularly from the bigs is fantastic. But, you know, I wish the bigs had a little bit more diversity. I don’t mind shooting from the perimeter, but every once in a while, go mix it up and take advantage of your size mismatch in the paint. And for Los Angeles, they’ve got Rui Aimura. He’s out there with LeBron James. DeAndre Aiden is out there with Luca Donuch. And it’s Reeves and a shooting guard outside. Curry jacks up a three. Rebound by the Lakers. Here’s Reeves. Well, he hasn’t scored yet, but I’m sure that’ll change. A nice shot by Donic. You know, as I watch Dantic, I think it’s feudal to try to distract this guy. His focus and concentration and control of himself is um excellent. Now, here’s Curry. Hey, from beyond the ark. No good there. And Los Angeles the other way now. And it’s James with the jam. When you play with Luca now, Donic, he’s ready to find you if you’re open. So, you’ve got to be ready to receive. misses off the left iron. Well, you know, you’d like to see a little more effort there defensively, but maybe they wanted him to take that shot. Baited him into it. Donic outside, knocks it loose. It’s stolen by Green to the middle. Rebounded by the Lakers. Aiden’s got five rebounds tonight. Here’s James. The shot is good. Donic making the play. Donic has got three assists in the game. LeBron is somewhere in the neighborhood of about 260 lbs and there’s nothing extra there. So, he can physically impose his will and flat out dominate near the rim. The Lakers have gotten three of four field goals in the second quarter. kicks it to Donic from the ark. Rebounded by Green. And this is exactly who you want taking that shot. He just missed it. And the Warriors miss again. Los Angeles has gone 0 for two from outside in this second quarter. James can’t get it to go. Offensively, it’s been a struggle for them. Yeah, they need to string together some shots to have any kind of chance. And even from where we’re sitting, you could clearly tell it was a foul. No question about it. I mean, a ton of contact and a good call by the officials. All right, guys. What do you think about the offensive approach we’ve seen so far for the Lakers? Well, I’ve liked their assertiveness inside. They’ve been getting that way and playing that way the whole time, setting the tone right away that the inside area is their territory. Another thing they’re doing well early on is passing the ball, spreading it around the floor and feeding guys who are well set up to score. And he knocks down the first one. Yeah, in terms of winners in NBA history, few have the resume of Draymond Green. Heels checked in for the Warriors. Smarts checked in for the Lakers. that misses. So, he splits the free throws and the Lakers shooting 35% so far up in this one. Here’s Aiden. Oh, and he got fouled on his way up. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. Got to be careful how you guard Aiden. He’s so creative at finding ways to draw fouls. That’s good from Aiden. And so he hits both. Time called here. The Warriors decide to talk it over. Yeah. Hoping to tap into something that’ll get them clicking. Yeah. And you know that’s going to be the focus of this timeout. They need to come up with a spark to get the offense going. What the Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. The Warriors have gone 0 for six in the second. Not looking good. Pass to heel. Outside. Green. Uses the glass on the layup. We know Green prefers to work up close. He loves getting those high percentage looks. And that replay showed how sensational that drive truly was. Yeah, they’re trying to close this gap. Always a good option to probe the paint and see if you can get an easy one inside. Now here is James. He’s got 10. And there’s the lob. And so the ball out of bounds. Smart tucks it last. Closing in on four minutes played here in the second quarter. Pass to Green. Back to Curry from deep three-point range and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got his eighth rebound here tonight. Aimura and he got the whistle on the way up. So, he’ll be headed to the line for a pair. It’s going to go on Draymond Green. And he drops a first. And both free throws good for Aimura. Golden State has gone 0 for three from deep to begin in the second outside heel. The Lakers with a rebound. Aimura’s got five rebounds in the game. And there’s James from the ark. Rebounded by Green. Green’s got his fourth rebound in this one. Aimura covering outside heel and the foul is called. He missed it. So he’s got a couple of free throws coming his way. It’s going to be on DeAndre Aton. When you talk about the best shooters in the NBA, Buddy Hill has to be in the conversation. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. The first free throw is good. and so he makes both from the line. The Lakers have gotten five of eight attempts to drop since the second began. Donic outside. Smart outside pass to Aimura. Donic outside. Aiden with it. Six on the shot clock. Rebounded by Green to the inside. And with that one, the deficit trimmed to single digits. He’s got six. And you know, for a big man, I think Green is one of the better dime droppers in the league. I mean, he’s a true point forward who has excellent vision and sees the floor well. Smart for three. No luck on that one. And Golden State will come the other way. It’s healed with a drive. The kick out. Curry and it’s in. Only two for nine though. So good at staying in control. Curry isn’t afraid of attracting contact on the way up. James outside. Smart passes to Donic. Shoots over Curry. Warriors with the rebound and he’s going to the line for two. The officials saw contact while he was going up. shooting two. The first one falls. Jimmy Butler’s checked in for the Warriors. hits both from the stripe. Really always a plus to have a big guy stroke it from the line like that. The soft touch on full display. And there’s James from the ark. And the ball out of play. The Warriors will have it. Golden State with the ball. They’ve gone on a 102 run. Not allowing much. Healed against Smart. releases and again it’s the Warriors missing. Well, it’s a make or miss league. Sometimes the Jays just don’t fall. It wasn’t a bad shot to the left side wing. Aimura. The pass to Aton. Rebounded by Green. Green’s got six rebounds here tonight. Pass to heel to the paint. Here’s Curry. That’s in. He’s shooting three for 10 from the floor now. More than just a score. Heel moves the ball well, especially when his guys are open. Time called here. Los Angeles decides to talk it over. Things just aren’t going their way. He clearly wants to talk it over. And you know what, guys? If for nothing else, just to slow things down a little bit, change it up somewhat. Heat up here. And some changes here for the Lakers. Hayes has checked in for DeAndre Aton. Vanderbilt comes in for LeBron and Vincent is subbed in for Smart. Now here’s Dantic. Here’s Vincent. And the call is going to be yes on a legal screen. The screener was leaning a bit right there. His feet may not have been planted. Pretty obvious call by the officials. Yeah, I agree. You know, sometimes that can be a tough call for the refs to make, but not that time. It was easy there. And the Warriors making a change here. Moody’s checked in now. Here’s Curry. Give him eight over to the left wing and he goes in for the dunk. And one move ahead of the defense. A solid pick. And then the monster dunk to complete the play. Well done, boy. Picture perfect teamwork that time, guys. One guy sacrificing for the other. That’s how you succeed in this league. And the Warriors with possession. They’re on a 15-6 run. Here’s Curry. That one a little long. The Lakers in the lead. Here’s Aimura. Jimmy Butler with a rebound. Golden State has gone 0 for three from deep to begin the second. And that one’s good. Jay, really well done there by Butler on the pass. He’s a guy who demands the best from himself and the best from his teammates. Hi Murray on the post. Here’s Vincent. Gets rebounded by Golden State. Moody’s got five rebounds in the game and he was fouled while in the act of shooting. So, he’ll take two free throws. And Green is so clever at forcing the D’s hand. Got to be careful how you guard him inside. Shooting two. And it’s tied up with that one. He does not get the second one. Golden opportunity to take the lead. Instead, he merely knots up the score. And there’s the contact on the dunk attempt. He gets the whistle. He doesn’t get the bucket. So, two shots coming up. Yeah, doing exactly what he had to do right there to make sure he wasn’t going to get flushed on or Instagrammed. And the first one at the line is good. And he makes the first but misses the second. Here’s Golden State. They’re on an 18-7 run. Well, the Lakers shooting a rough 29% from the field here. Pass to Donic. Right wing outside. Vanderbilt. It’s stolen by Curry. Aimura covering. And here is Green. Here’s Moody looking for his first basket. Still in this one. And it’s Green missing. Aimuro from long range. Misses another. Just one of four from the floor and finished off by Hayes. Got to give him credit for jumping on the ball and making the most at the other end. Boy, inexcusable at this point of the game. They got to be more composed in these moments. Exactly. I mean, when you’re running neck to neck, those kinds of mistakes tip the scales. And again, no good by Golden State. And for the Lakers, they’re shooting a chilly 28% here in the second. And Donic with the jam. Boy, there’s a subtle but real physicality and aggressiveness to Donic’s approach to the game and that’s part of his greatness. Pass to Moody. Now Curry fires from deep. Another shot and it’s Jay missing. You know, using his size advantage there to rip down that board in traffic. And it’s Aimura missing. The Warriors trailing down low. hangs in the air. They get it back. Here’s Jay. Tries yet again. A minute 20 left in the first half of this one. Here’s Vincent. Aimura outside. Four on the clock. The Lakers got to get one up. Late clock. Benson can’t hit. The Warriors shooting at just 26% of the second. Donic against Curry. Pass to Moody trying to get back on track. The Lakers with a rebound. And the defense got away with one there. I mean, that’s a shot he typically makes. And that’s out of bounds. The Lakers will retain possession. A great read to get a hand in there and disrupt the play. And you know, even though they didn’t come up with the steal, that’s still a nice defensive play. And the Lakers making a change here. Reeves has checked in. 36 seconds left in the first half. Donic outside. Fires for three. Pass to Reeves. Back to Hayes and that one goes in as he’s fouled. It’ll be three points if he converts the free throw. And the free throw no good. The Warriors shooting just around 26% for the game. Up top, Curry. Give him eight. Will it go? And it’s good on the layup. Curry’s got 10. And I’ll tell you, we see Curry working on his balance all the time. Well, I’ll tell you what, it paid off on that challenging play. And the first half comes to an end. We’ve got a close game going here. The Lakers on top up five. Stay with us, folks. We’ll be back just after halftime to get the third quarter started. And now, the 2K Sports Halftime Show. It is a good game we have here after one half of play. Everybody, welcome back for our halftime show. Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith. It’s the Lakers out on top at halftime. They have a five-point lead. Kenny, how’ you see it? You have to recognize their bench, but sometimes we overlook the second year, but tonight they’ve been the key. The coaching staff has got to be loving this. Getting that extra boost is huge. Shaq, how do you think the Warriors were playing? Well, the low turnovers really stood out to me. They didn’t get loose with it or make silly passes. Nothing was forced. They had a nice flow to the offense. Guys knew where to be on the floor. That’s the heads up style of play they need to bring in the second half. That’s all for now. Say goodbye to the folks. Thanks for joining us. Third quarter just about ready to begin. And we’re halfway through this one. Plenty of basketball left in a game that’s been a fairly even one. You got to like what we’re seeing from LeBron James. Yeah. Tonight he’s done a great job of slashing through the lane and finishing. 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. Second half of basketball is upon us and we may be in for an exciting finish based on how close of a game we’ve seen so far. Here’s Reeves. Well, he hasn’t put up any points yet in this one. Here’s Aiden unable to get that one. And Golden State will come the other way. And for the Lakers, LeBron James out there with Jackson Hayes. Then it’s Luca Donuch. Then it’s DeAndre Aton. And it’s Reeves in at the two now. Here’s Green. Five on the clock. Pass to Curry. Up and over. Donic. Curry. No good. The Lakers in the lead. Here’s Reeves. Now here is James. He’s covered by Curry. Nice shot by Reeves. No good. Green. The pass to Curry. Second half rolling along. About a minute played here from deep. Donic pulls down the board. Donic has got nine rebounds in the game. Boy, he’s getting it done. Reeves. And he takes the feed in stride and slams it home. Woo! Defensively, you can’t afford to let him get to the rim that easily. Well, that might be why their deficit is what it is right now. You know, you look at it, the communication is lacking, as is the trust. They can ill afford those types of breakdowns. It won’t work. You can’t win with those kind of breakdowns. Hard to turn down a look that good. Still, long twos are losing favor. And misses like that are the reason why the Lakers have gotten only one of four shots to fall in the second half. This one for three. And the rebound goes to the Warriors. And the Warriors miss again. Probably not the shot they had in mind, but you can’t fault him. He had a clean look. Here’s Aton. That shot is off. And it’s the Warriors taking it the other way. Inside rebound. The Lakers. Hayton’s got nine rebounds now to the middle. Here’s Hayes. And it goes as the official calls the foul. Count it and he’ll shoot one more at the line. Watch out. And that one misses. Pass to James over Green. James can’t get it to go. He’s covered by Aiden. Clock keeps going. Three minutes into the second half now. Here’s Curry. No good off the back of the rim. You know, he’s just not taking good shots, not taking smart shots. Forcing up a lot of low percentage jump there. Coaches load empty possessions. You got to be able to hit the easy ones. trying to find a spark here. Yes, indeed. A rough stretch offensively. They could really use a basket to the paint to end the drought and he lays it in. He has six. Want to score in the NBA? Picks can really force the D to make tough choices. Donic outside. Pass to Aiden. Here’s Reeves. The three rebounded by Green. Green’s got rebound number 10 tonight with that last one. It’s stolen by Donic. Here’s James. And again, no good by the Lakers. You know, the fact is he’s not a lock from there, but he was open enough to where he should have hit that shot. Curry no good. Oh man, he can’t get anything to fall. You can feel his frustration and he’s got to find other ways to contribute then because his shot making is not happening right now. Now here is James. 10 points for him. Oh, he hangs in there and cashes in on the second chance points. Eightton’s got nine. Great effort to turn the miss into two points. Yes, sir. Those are the hustle points and great instincts too, guy. anticipating where the miss was going. And a moment now to quickly take a look at the offensive approach for the Lakers. These guys have incredible stamina based on how they’ve been running the floor, using speedy transition play to get fast break points. They’ve been pounding any miss on the glass and cashing in on the offensive boards. I’ve been impressed with that aspect of their game. First free throw is good. Jimmy Butler’s work ethic is really impressive. I mean, it seems like he never stops improving his game and looking for ways to be more effective on the floor. And that’s why he’s been as good as he’s been so far in his career. Heels checked in for the Warriors. Aimura’s checked in for Los Angeles. Smart comes in for Luca Donuch. And good on the second, so he makes them both. Los Angeles has gotten nothing to fall from outside in this third quarter. Smart against heel to the inside. Reeves and the layup is good after a nice lead pass and the Lakers lead by nine. Right side green. Oh, and he took a hard foul on the shot. So, he’ll head to the line to shoot a pair. Everyone in the building saw the obvious contact. Yeah, the officials didn’t need to talk that one over. It was obvious. He misses the free throw. And that trip coming up empty, missing both. Unusual for him. He’d been in a groove from the line. Pass to Smart. Rebounded by Heield. The Warriors trailing. The three is up. Hits the trifecta. He’s got five points. This is his shot. The defense must chase Heield off that three-point line. Smart up top guarded by Heel and it’s Smart missing. Golden State has gone one of four here in the third from range. Takes one from 10 ft. No good on the shot. So the Lakers will take it the other way. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. And again the Lakers no good. He hasn’t been able to find his touch this quarter. To me, it appears he’s starting to lose his composure a little bit. We’ll see if he can regroup and get back into a better rhythm. Time called here. The Lakers decide to talk it over. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. The Lakers in the lead. Smart outside pass to Reeves. Back to Smart and a nice finish on the layup. Keeping pace here. That’s an excellent move inside. Outside heel from the line. Rebounded by the Lakers. Eightton’s got a rebound number 12 here. You’re already in the game. Pass to Reeves. Back to Smart. Shot clock at six. Baseline jumper. Aiden controls the rebound and the put back. And the Lakers lead by eight. Impeccable timing from the towering big man. Aiden is someone you must box out or this is what happens. Now here’s heel. He’s got five from downtown. Eaton with the defensive effort. You know, I think the effort on defense there has everything to do with why he missed that shot. Well done. Healed against Smart. The Warriors pull it in. Check by James. Two noisy points from a noisy guy. Butler has so much passion and he chirps out there a little bit and yet his team feeds off of that. Pass to Reeves. Aiden with it. Oh, and the jam by Eton. Oh, nothing soft about that. Was not going to be denied. Just took the dunk that was right in front of him. Well, you know, if nobody’s going to put a body on him, then that’s going to be the result. Rebounded by LeBron. Most nights this shot would have been his, but the defender gave him just enough trouble. Machimura finds James. Smart passes to Aiden. Rebounded by Green. Green’s got rebound number 12 here already in the game. Aimura covering off target with the three. He’s been tremendous at corelling misses all night long. Yeah, I love the way he’s fighting through box outs using his elbows. I mean, he’s doing whatever it takes. Aiden no good. Golden State has gone just one of six from long. Long distance here in the third. The shots just start falling. He buries it from three. No hesitation whatsoever from Jimmy Butler, ready to shoot it as soon as he caught it. Here’s Reeves. Here’s James. It’s not going to go for him. A minute 58 left in the third quarter. And there’s the whistle. Illegal screen is the call. Well, the league has put an emphasis to crack down on illegal screens. Yeah, you know, he might have gotten away with that a few years ago, but not anymore. No way. Now you’ve got to be stationary on those screens. No extra hips or elbows or they’ll call it. Vanderbilts checked in for Los Angeles. Vincent comes in for Reeves. Now here’s Smart. Pass to Aiden. The put back. Great positioning on the put back and the Lakers lead by seven. What hustle on the offensive glass finding ways to capitalize, paying off that hard work. That three is off the mark. Los Angeles has got nothing to fall here in the third. 0 for four. Showing great intensity around the rim. It’s part of why he’s a respected defender. And you know what? He’s not going to give up an easy finish at the rim. I mean, that’s just against his constitution. Pass to Moody. And so he draws the foul. Headed to the line to shoot a pair. Jared Vanderbilt picks one up. Man, the defender really went after him. Yeah, if you’re going to foul, then make sure that you don’t give a chance for the and one. And he makes a first. Luca Donuch has checked in for Smart. Both good from the line that time. One minute left in the third. Donic outside. Pass to Aimura. Back to Donic to the middle. Here’s Vincent. and he just driving the stake in him there. He’s a guy just never lets up and that’s terribly demoralizing for a defense guys. I mean they know he’s going to keep coming and coming and coming and that they may not have an answer for it. Pass to Jay and he banks in the layup. Six points for him. If you allow him to get that close, you deserve to get scored on. and he lobbs it up. It’s tipped and the ball goes out of bounds. Last touch by Donic. You know, I think he may have forced that pass when there was really no reason to. 17 seconds left in the third quarter. Curry against Donic. 4 seconds left. Donic with a block. Yeah, the defense of Donic looking a lot better. I mean, when he works hard at that end of the floor, he can get up and block some shots, too. Not a lot of them, but he can block a few. And that’s how you defend. Glad we had a chance to see a replay of that block again. 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. Curry. He’s open. And we’ve watched three so far in this one. Lakers ahead. They lead by five. All right, we’re going to step aside for just a second, but join us right back here for the start of quarter number four next. And while we have a chance, let’s go to our State Farm assist of the game. Woo! I’m fired up to see this dish one more time. It’s always great to see your two guards share the wealth. Yeah, platinum level dime dropping there, fellas. Accurate and on time. Well, what a terrific game it’s been so far with this fourth quarter sure to bring more pressure packed basketball. Here’s Jay guarded by Vanderbilt. Curry no good. He’s trying to find his shot, but at some point you have to start making these. And for the Lakers, we’ve got Gabe Vincent, Jared Vanderbilt out there with Rui Aimura. Then there’s LeBron James. And it’s Donuchin at the one. Here’s Vincent. Pass to Aimura and the layup is good and the Lakers lead by seven. Willing passers unselfish play. You have to appreciate this kind of offense. And there’s the drive. Puts it up from 12. The Lakers with the rebound. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. Pass to Donic. Now here’s Hachimura. The rebound by Jay out for the wing. Here’s Moody. Just five on the clock. got a piece of it. It’s stolen by James. Now the Lakers moving it up. Here’s Donic. That falls. Nice feed that time from James. Boy, he’s so dangerous in these situations. Donic just has a good sense for what he needs to do based on the situation. And we just had to see that mobile one drive one more time. Great stuff. The energy and focus on display. saw an opportunity to get inside and they continue to build at this lead. Time called here. The Warriors decide to talk it over. Coach is not happy with their effort on the defensive glass. They’re giving up way too many second chance points. Heat. Heat. Both teams deciding to change it up. And from the sideline, let’s catch up with Allie. I was able to listen in on what Steve Kerr had to say to the team. No shocker, the amount of turnovers was his focus. He told the team, “Stop giving the game away. We have to value the basketball and we have to play smart.” Clearly, he is not happy with the decision-m, guys. All right. Appreciate it, Ally. The first free throw is good. good on both. Moving along. Two minutes gone in the fourth. Donic outside. Here’s Reeves. Donic left side. And there it is for him. Donic has got four points this quarter. That’s just a fantastic decision from Donic seeing a chance to go to work inside and taking it. Just over two and a half minutes played now. Final quarter of regulation. Fades back. Rebound by the Lakers. Aimura’s got his eighth rebound here tonight. To the paint. Here’s Vanderbilt. Machimura finds Vanderbilt and the rebound paying off as they pick up two on the second chance bucket right there. They need something good to happen here. Yeah, they’ve gone way too long without a score. Outside Curry. Green for three. Second chance effort. Vanderbild with the block. AI Merurl from long range. That shot missing and Golden State will go the other way with it. And again, it’s the Warriors missing for Los Angeles. They’ve gone four of seven from the field in the fourth quarter. Not himself from range right now, but the only way out of this funk is to keep trying. Back to Curry and they call an illegal screen here. The screener was leaning a bit right there. His feet may not have been planted. Pretty obvious call by the officials. Yeah, I agree. You know, sometimes that can be a tough call for the refs to make, but not that time. It was easy there. DeAndre Eaton. He’s checked in for Vanderbilt and it’s Donic missing. Golden State has gone 0 for two from outside here in the fourth quarter. Kept alive. It seems like every miss ends up in his hands. He’s been unreal. Tell you what, those are crazy numbers, guys. I mean, believe me, I was a good rebounder in my day. It is not easy to corral that many boards in one night. Outside Curry. tries to snap the cold streak and he lays it up at him. You know, at close range, Curry has a plethora of shots. You simply can’t allow him to get those looks. Time called here. Los Angeles decides to talk it over. Yeah, coach no doubt wants to use this timeout to review the matchups and maybe make some adjustments as well. Yeah, and I agree. I think there’s going to be a new wrinkle in their game plan when they come out of this timeout. And the Lakers have possession here in the fourth. They’ve allowed just four points. Machimura against Green. Here’s Donic. Ue two on the layup and the Lakers lead by 11 and just totally relentless. Only increasing the intensity level. Yeah, I love the fact he doesn’t play the score. He just keeps coming attack mode. He doesn’t know how to step off the gas pedal. The shooter thought he had enough space, but the defender was right on him. You know, that’s a trademark of his defense. Quick to react, slows down the shooter, and then affect the shot. It’s hauled in by Luca Donuch. The Lakers have gotten five of 12 shot attempts to go so far in the fourth quarter. And the Warriors shooting just 24% in this one. Not great. Aimura with a rebound. Aimura’s got nine rebounds now. Pass to Donic. Now James shoots from the line. Back to Donic. Off target from three-point range. Golden State has gone 0 for three here in the fourth. These calls can be so difficult for officials to make. Yeah, but in this case, I think he got it right. I mean, the defender was still moving there and never really had good legal guarding position. He wasn’t set. Lakers on D. They lead by 11. Back to Curry. Clock at six. Hayden with the defensive effort. And for the Lakers, they’re shooting only 36% since the fourth quarter started. James outside shoots a fadeaway. It’s rebounded by Golden State down low. Lays it up and banks it in. Outstanding execution. Good job working the ball inside. Donic outside. Back to James. Aiden with it. Misses from short range. Check by James. And count that. Two points and a chance for one more at the line. You know, that’s just simply outstanding focus. Butler is used to getting hit on the way up. expects to be bumped and jostled around and still muscles his shots in. The Lakers in the lead. James outside. Pass to Aiden. Here’s Reeves. The shot misses. Green with the defensive effort. And there’s the foul. It’s on DeAndre Aton. That’s his third foul so far. Golden State has gone 0 for three here in the fourth. When LeBron is engaged on defense, he’s a real problem at that end of the floor, too. Terrific job changing the shot. They get it back. Here’s Donic. Nice work on the boards, paying off for the basket. Making the most of that possession. unwilling to give up on the play. Curry against Donic. Lets the three fly. Second chance shot and it’s laid up and in by Green. Boy, throwing himself on the offensive glass and being rewarded for it. That’s the energy that Draymond Green brings. looking to end this cold spell. So, it’ll be two free throws. He was fouled in the act of shooting. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. That free throw misses. Word has it that LeBron spends over a million dollars keeping his body in shape. I think that’s a big reason why he’s been able to enjoy such a long career making that kind of investment into the tool of his trade. And the Warriors making a change here. Moody’s checked in. And he’s good on the second. The Warriors trailing inside. Deflects the pass. Green and a foul called on the way up. So he’ll take two from the free throw line. What offensive effort from Green Backing off the shot isn’t even a consideration for him. Two, two. And he can’t get the first one. And he can’t hit the Los Angeles has got nothing to fall from outside the arc here in the fourth. 0 for four part for the course for Luca Don. Just one of those games where he’s got it on cruise control. Pass to Green and they recover it. There’s another opportunity and everything’s going right for these guys. Donic passes to Aiden. Oh, a flawless finish on the lob. And it’s an 11-point Los Angeles lead. You love Aiden’s energy on offense. He relishes every chance he gets to put up points for his team. Guarded by Donic. Donic pulls down the board. Los Angeles shooting at 32% from the floor. Not good. Pass to Reeves. Back to Donic. Takes a three. Doesn’t go that time. The Warriors go the other way with it. He didn’t make them pay for that weak defense, but they just can’t rely on him to miss those kind of shots. Now here’s Curry. Tight defense on him. The shot inside. Down to five on the shot clock. And down it goes. Two points. Once he saw the opening, he had no hesitations. And Donic. Here we go. Shoots over Curry. Here’s Aimura. No good with a layup. Golden State now running out of time to the inside. Green. The pass to Curry. And that one’s good. And Green with the assist. And I love it. Challenging the bigger defender and showing plenty of heart. Well, the size mismatch is no problem for this fella, guys. I mean, how much do you like seeing that aggressiveness from him? Here’s Reeves. Back to Donic. lets it go from deep. Shot is good by Reeves. And the Lakers lead by 10. And this is a game they can build off of. They kept their focus all game long and it will get marked as a win for the Lakers. A pair of tremendous rebounding teams and these guys played a little harder tonight and that was the edge they needed. And no question this was a a team effort. But you have to love how big a night this was for Luca Donuch. anytime they needed a bucket, they’d put the ball in his hands and say, “Go make a play.” It was impressive to watch. The Lakers with the ball, following the score by Golden State gets a hand on it. It’s good on the put back. They really came in with the right mindset today. I can guarantee you their flight home will be filled with some smiles. Yep. To have a stress-free win on the road, very satisfying. The fans are already headed for the exit. Curry against Donic. And so it’s the Lakers easily grabbing this one. They have to feel good about this performance. It’s one they can be proud of. Very true. I mean, when you’re out on the road, the winds can feel a little sweeter. This one has to feel extra special. Well, now we have some time to check in with Ally Leforce. Ally. All right, guys. LeBron, a superstar matchup tonight. What goes through your mind when you’re facing that kind of a challenge? You know, for me, it’s never about an individual challenge um or an individual game. It’s about the team. Now, you do take the challenge anytime you’re going against anybody, but you also got to have your mind in the game, too, and not make it personal. So, taking the challenge, making sure your mind is in the right frame, and uh just trying to make plays for your teammates to be successful. Thanks, LeBron. Back to you. All right, Ally. Good stuff there. Thanks for that. And that’ll do it, folks, for Clark Kellogg, Ally Leforce, and Grant Hill. This is Brian Anderson. So long, everyone. Hey Brent, tonight we got a terrific matchup in the back court. Let’s rewind here a little bit. Go back to when you played. Who were some of the guards you really enjoyed playing against? What if I start with the list of the guys Kevin I didn’t enjoy playing against? If I named Allan Iverson, Mitch Richmond, oh, and of course Michael Jordan. Not the funnest nights at work, if you get my drift, but I did love playing one John Barry. And now the Lakers starting group. Ruy Hatchima out there with DeAndre Eaton. Then there’s Luca Donic. Then it’s LeBron James and it’s Reeves in at the two guard spot. So, it’s the Warriors now after LeBron James’s miss. The shot by Curry. No good. Not quite enough defense that time around. Just lucky he was off. Ruy Hachimura is one of those guys who you’re assured of as putting in the work in the offseason. His shot has gotten a little bit more accurate and the confidence that he plays with continues to grow. Los Angeles shooting their first shots from the in this game. Two, two, three. The first free throw is good. Hiimura hits them both. And here’s Golden State. A moment now to hear from our sideline reporter, Hall of Famer, David Aldrich. David. Hey Kevin. Hey. I talked to the Lakers head coach. He’s confident in their ability to win the battle of the low post. That’s where he’d like to see most of the action take place. Kevin, I think we can expect them to pound the ball down low every chance they get. Let their big men go to work. Thank you, David. Now, here is Humer. Jimmy Butler unable to get his last shot to go. Here’s Reeves. Great D that time from Green. The defense ready for him on that possession. They had to be cuz he is so strong in the paint. Shoots a fader. No good on the shot. And the Lakers will go the the other way with it. And you watch the way Donic runs this offense. He’s become a master at the pick and roll. Incredible to see someone run it to perfection. Here’s Reeds. Here’s Donic. And the layup’s good off the glass. And he’s become a true warrior on the backboard. Donuch understands how to position himself on that offensive board. Green bounce pass and the rejection by LeBron. Here’s some advice. Don’t go at LeBron James. Ah, never get tired of LeBron James in the air doing wonderful things. If you’re just tuning in, we played about two and a half minutes here in the first. And with Donic in the pick and roll game, he’s so good at such a young age. It’s amazing how well he reads the defense, but he can also freeze a defender or create confusion with that hesitation. He has all the tricks to run. just five to shoot and a T3 from Curry. And there’s the shot clock violation. Couldn’t get the shot off in time. And right now, let’s watch that terrific swat. And an early swat like that can really set the tone. Now the shooters will be feeling his presence. And here’s James. He’ll bring it up for Los Angeles. Tonic way outside and a miss there on the triple. Warriors trail by six pass to Curry over Donic. Here’s Green and contact on the shot. So he’ll be shooting free throws here. How about Draymond rising up into the contact? He’s a good offensive player who finds his way this time to get to the free throw line. This is his first free throw of the game. You know, this is not an area where they expect him to contribute. You know, he’s a guy that shot below 70% last season. Shoot for two. and he makes the first. Amazing to think about Draymond Green and the career arc he’s had thus far. He really can guard any position on the floor. He can make plays. Really a unique talent. And both free throws good for Green. Lakers leading by four. Anjage passes to LeBron. Just under three and a half minutes gone here in the first quarter. Down to five on the shot clock. Anj passes to Reeves. And a bit of a battle here for the ball. The official signals a jump ball here. And it’s the Warriors with the ball. Warriors have got a poultry 0 of six from the field here in what’s been a very difficult start for them. Back to Curry. Just five on the clock and it’s out of bounds. Nice touch by Curry. The Lakers in the lead. outside. LeBron outside. Shot clock at six at three off the mark. Golden State’s gone 0 of three from three-point land. Nothing yet going outside. Green dishes to Curry. back to Green Outside. Curry. It’s stolen by Hatchima. Here’s Reeds. No good that time. Great D that time from Green. Warriors trail by four. There’s the three and it’s Aiden with the rebound. Having a hand up in your face makes such a difference to a shooter. Yeah, as good as you can do without getting a block there to defend. Scraping and clawing, doing everything he can to grow that lead. Emphatic on the put back stuff. Now team’s having a tough time containing him. Attacking all the way there. and James throws it down hard. Just finding ways to get inside, get up and throw another one down. LeBron with an easy two and the Warriors decide to take their first time out here. Trying to snap them out of this little slump. Well, they can’t find the net right now and all they need, I think, is just to get one to go, get back on track. Heat. Heat. Here’s Curry with the three and the Warriors miss again. And when you can’t get anything to fall, it definitely gets in your head, especially if you’re a player that doesn’t get a lot of shot attempts. But otherwise, the mindset is I just got to get the next one to go. And you don’t want to put that much pressure on yourself. And right now, they’re just focused on putting together good possessions. Yeah, that’s exactly how they got the lead. They ended up having multiple possessions in a row with good quality shots. knock them down and game is fully in their control. Now that’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, the coach over there just asking for one simple thing and that’s some effort. Got burned on that one. Now here’s James. Eight points for him. The pass to Donic. Shot clock at five and there’s the whistle. Illegal screen. That’s going to draw a whistle every time down the floor. Not even close to being a legal screen. Yeah, everybody saw that one. That was pretty blatant there. Smarts checked in for the Lakers. Now here’s Curry still looking for his first bucket in this one. Rebounded by DeAndre. Yeah, can’t see why he missed that one there. The D’s close, but look like plenty of room. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. James the pass to Hatchima inside. Here’s Hatton. He can’t hit that time. And it’s the Warriors taking it the other way. Started by Smart and a kind role that time off the rim as that one falls. Well, Jimmy Butler’s playing the smart game right here. Patient and disciplined. That’s a nice mid-range jumper. Here’s LeBron. Second chance shot and it’s good on the way in. James has got 10 points in the game and and that’s a great play on the backboard for him. I mean, it’s what we expect. All his second chance points do not come by accident. Well, it it isn’t for a lack of effort when it comes to getting up to three-pointers, but not much to show for it. He’s going to lose the green light here very early in this game if this keeps up. And it’s Donic missing. Warriors trail by eight. pass to Kur beyond the ark. It’s hauled in by Los Angeles on the wing. Donic and that’s going to be too many steps. Gets the whistle on the travel. Jay checked in for the Warriors. Moody comes in for Curry. The Lakers also making some changes. Jackson Hayes comes in for Aton. And Vanderbilt subbed in for Hatchim. And here’s Green. He’ll bring it up for the Golden State Warriors. Trailing here by eight. Covered by LeBron to the middle. Here’s Jay. And it’s LeBron James with the rebound. James has got his fourth rebound with that. Last one here tonight. Pass to Smart. Oh, and there’s the alleyoop. All alone. It’s rebounded by Hayes. Yeah, that miss might stick with him for a little while. That’s kind of a shootaround jumper if I’ve ever seen one. Smart dishes to Donic. Smart passes to James. Off target from outside. Warriors trail by eight. Guys, they’re looking for a way to score here. Yeah, they’ve had a tough time taking the lid off. There are only a few players in the league who can hit a teammate like that in stride. Beautiful assist. Now here’s James. 10 points for him. Now Hayes and James gets it to go on the assist by Hayes. LeBron’s got 12 points in the game. James has gotten six of his 11 attempts to go in so far from the field. Shooting almost 55% at the elbow. Green. Pass to Moody. Guarded by Smart. Six to shoot. And that’ll be two free throws coming up. Officials on the call with the foul. It’s on Jimmy Butler. As tough as they get, smart a bulldog out there does a good job of drawing contact often times by initiating them. And that one falls for Smart. And some of what Smart gives this team doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet, but but he makes plays that help you win. Los Angeles making a switch here. Benson’s checked in. Good on both. Warriors trail by 10. There’s the pass to Moody. Healed with it. James covering and James pulls it down. Fires the three and the rebound goes to the Warriors down low. It’s tipped. There’s the lob to the hoop and Hayes throws it down. And this is where Smart has really improved. The game’s slowed down for him. He’s playing under better control. Nice pass. And that was almost a block. Still did enough to alter the shot. Yeah, altering the shot. Just as long as there’s a miss, that kind of energy not wasted. The kick out to LeBron. Three-pointer on the way. Warriors trail by 12. Moody the pass to Jay. Here’s Heel Santos. Vanderbilt defending back to Heield over James. And again, it’s the Warriors missing. And so it’s the Los Angeles Lakers enjoying a 12-point lead as they talk things over during the break. The one goal they had coming into this game was to not let Curry beat him. And so far, their defense on Steph has been tremendous. And we’ll be back with you shortly. And welcome back to the second quarter of action. Plenty of basketball left to play, but this one has been one-sided so far. And for the Lakers, this has been the game they wanted to have throughout that first. They just were aggressive on the defensive end, showing active hands. No, they really made a lot of good quality reads down there. Took some chances, but feeling more calculated than risky. So on the floor for the Lakers to start this second quarter. They’ve got Aton Hatchima out there with Jared Vanderbilt. Then it’s Vincent and it’s Reeves in at the shooting guard position. The accuracy that Curry has from that kind of range. It’s just jaw-dropping. He does not miss that many shots from that deep. Now here is Himemer. Passes it to Reeves. Here’s Vincent. They get it back. Aton and Aton throws it down. Now, if continues to play with that kind of effort, possession by possession, he’s a real tough cover. Curry kicks to Heel from downtown. Vanderbilt with the rebound. And with an update from the sidelines, let’s check in with David Aldridge. Thanks very much. Now, from the step back to his attacking style, some have compared Luca Donuch to the beer, James Harden. There are some similarities, Harden said, being able to dictate and control the game like he does. He never lets anyone speed him up, and he gets what he wants. Back to you, Kevin. He always has. They’re both pretty fun to watch, David. Thank you. Here’s Reeves. This is the most they’ve led by 13 points. Here’s Hatchima and they call the foul. So a chance at the line for one more coming up. And Bren, you were a pretty versatile player. Which of your skills was the most difficult to master? Well, I think going inside and and finishing, you know, going in over big physical guys who could either block your shot or, you know, send you to the deck pretty quick. So going in and having confidence to finish around the basket is is certainly a skill. Lucich, he’s checked in for Gabe Vincent. And that one falls for Hachimura. Second quarter of basketball, just over a minute and a half played. Pass to Green. Some nice passing by Golden Stadium. Now, here’s Hee. Defense is right there. Clock at four. Golden State needs to get off a shot. Tough to hit that shot when the D is all over you like that. Anj passes to Reeves. Anj outside. Pass to Eaton. Over healed and that one hits back iron and again unable to change momentum here. Over in the corner. Donic. The pass to Vanderbilt. Donic against Curry. And they double up. Donic. Reeves gets the bucket. Big miscommunication on defense. He recognizes it and quickly takes advantage. Well, I know they don’t have mobile devices out there for texting, so they might as well talk to one another. Ow. Here’s He still getting warmed up offensively. No scoring head from him. Yes, that goes in. He showing more ball handling there for you. He could be slippery. Anich passes to Himimer. Back to Donic. Passes it to Reeves. Now here is Himer. Score the basket. His second of two attempts. Achimmer getting that shot to fall. Just rising up over the top of the deep. Time out. Time out. Now a timeout called by Golden State and they’re allowing too many points in the paint. Coach is going to let him hear about it. Yeah, coach knows that. They know that in the timeout they’re going to hear about it. Make the adjustment. There you go. and just over three and a half minutes played here in the second quarter, healed left side and he gets the whistle. Two free throws coming up. And a closer look here at the scoring breakdown for the Lakers. And right from the jump, they’ve been working hard to establish themselves inside, using agility and power to get shots in the paint. We should also mention how hard they’ve been working on the offensive glass, just coming up with second chance scoring opportunities. Those can be deflating. The first one falls. And he makes both free throws. A big fellow 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. Here’s Reeves. Vanderbilt kicks to Donic. Lock at six. Here’s Reeves. Great D that time from Green. How about the timing he shows there to challenge that shot? Yeah, not easy to do there. And that’s a guy that you can tell takes every possession defensively very seriously. Here’s Reeves following the basket by Stephen Cerr. Hatimura. The pass to Donic. The Warriors pull it in. Healed outside and foul on the shot. He’ll shoot two at the free throw line. That one on Aton. Felt like he was getting more and more hungry as he got closer to the rim. Jimmy Butler just tenacious there. The Warriors have looked good at the line. They’re perfect in four attempts. And at the line last season about 78% as a team, pretty solid numbers. No good on the free throw. Jimmy Butler’s just one of those guys that coaching staff and players admire just how competitive he is on a daily basis. LeBron’s checked in for the Lakers. And he sinks the second. Los Angeles leading by 13. Reeves the pass to LeBron. Healed against Hatchima. Poke loose. It’s stolen by Green. Curry against Vanderbilt. It’s good. And that’s just his third make in 10 shots. An off game for him. That’s tough. Tough finish. Steph’s not just a great shooter, but really great numbers through the years as being an elite finisher. Now here’s Vanderbilt. Nothing yet on the scoreboard for him. And here’s LeBron outside. Yeah, we’re chipping some orange paint off the rim here, guys. He must be more patient on offense and trying to find ways to penetrate inside and get closer to the rim. 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. Here’s Donic following the basket by Draymond Green. Five on the clock. Back to Henchima. Los Angeles with another miss. Here’s the Warriors with the ball. Big run right now going for him. 112. Curry good. And really the last guy that you like to see comfortable shooting the ball is Stephen Curry. Just automatic. Here’s Donic. Great D on that shot. And it’s off the mark. Warriors trail by seven and too long on the shot. Los Angeles has gone 03 from be on the arc to start the second quarter. Takes it inside, scores for only the second time tonight. Now two for six from the field. Guys, you never know what you’ll see when you’re watching Luca Donic. His offensive creativity is through the roof. And you love seeing that great mobile one drive a second time. And it’s finishes like that which have helped them build this lead here in the first half. Vanderbilt defending. It’s hauled in by Los Angeles. Aimura’s got four rebounds now tonight. Pass to Donic. Here’s Reeves. He can’t get it to go. The Warriors go the other way with it. Right wing. No, good with the triple. That’s another just bad decision on a night full of those. His shot selection tonight has been questionable at best. And that one good, another good play. This is how they built the lead. Calling on the right guys at the right time. Basketball IQ is something that gets talked about, but it’s importance to a team showing up here running plays that turn into scores. And it’s the Warriors with the ball following the bucket by the Lakers. shoots off the step back. Rebounded by the Lakers. Donic has got his fourth rebound in the this one off on the layup. Warriors trail by 11 on the wing. Heel back to Curry Lree. He gets that one to drop. He’s now five of 12. And this is a special player and might be a special night for Curry. Time out. And the Lakers decide to take their first timeout here. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Jay checked in for Golden State. Moody comes in for Buddy Heel. Danj with it. James outside. Pass to Smart. Five to shoot. The shot. James misses. That might not be the shot they want him taking even with the D backing off. The pass to Jay Hakim. grabs the miss. Hatchim’s got his fifth rebound right now in the game. LeBron kicks to Smart, passes it to Hatchima. James outside, flying his way from deep. Raymond Green grabs the miss. Warriors trail by eight. It’s rebounded by Donic. Pass to Hatchet Murray in the hoop for his third make from the field. He’s three for four thus far in the contest. And Hachimura just strong doing what it took to get that one off. Now here’s Moody. He’s been quiet so far. Still no points in the game. First shot, first basket. He’s out of the blocks fast. Well, 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. LeBron passes to Hatchima. Hayes bounce pass. The feed now to Donic. Aimura kicks to Donic. He can’t get that one to fall. Warriors trail by eight. Golden State moving it around. The offensive rebound and the basket by Jay. And they keep hammering away at him inside, forcing the ball into the paint. Outside Smart. Pass to James. Back to Smart. It’s stolen by Green on the left block and that one is off. James with some nice D. Hatimura. The pass to Donic. Deflects the pass and there’s another turnover by the Lakers. Looked like a simple play and turned into a turnover. Can’t give away possessions like that. And the Lakers making a change here. Vincson’s checked in. 52 seconds left to play here in the second quarter. It’s blocked. Nice timing on that contested shot. Just reading it well was Ruy. Curry fires from way outside. It’s hauled in by Los Angeles. James has got rebound number seven for him tonight. Katimura no good. Oh, can’t punish the defense for leaving him open that time. That’s a frustrating miss for a really steady jump shooter. 16 seconds left in the first half. It’s stolen by Hatchima. Here’s Vincent outside. Smart with one on the clock. And so it’s Los Angeles with a six-point lead at the end of the quarter. And they’ve done a phenomenal job down low. So many of their points coming right at the rim. And we’ve got more in 2K Sports coming your way after this break. The 2K Sports halftime show. Hey folks, can’t tell you uh how how much it means to us to have you back with us on the halftime show on 2K Sports. Ernie Johnson, uh Kenny the Jet Smith, Shaquille O’Neal. Means the world, doesn’t it? So big. It’s the Lakers out on top at halftime. They have a six-point lead. Kenny, give us your take. I like what they’ve done on the glass. Boxing out, reacting quickly, playing with an aggressive attitude. They set a physical tone, but now everyone gets a chance to recalibrate. We’ll see if this rebounding dominance can extend into the second half. Shaq, what are your thoughts on Golden State? Ernie, they’re taking way too many threes. The offense has no rhythm. They need to go back to the drawing board. Maybe try to get a little bit more transition, more off the pick and roll. Anything other than shooting that three, it’s not going. And that should do it with the second half about to begin. Let’s send you back to Kevin Harland. Go back to Kevin Harland. Go. Just go over there. Second half of basketball upon. We may be in for an exciting finish based on how close of a game it’s been so far. Warriors trail by six. And the pass to Green to the right side. No good on the three. And Los Angeles guys shooting at 36% on the night. They’ve got to step it up offensively. And for the Lakers, we’ve got Donic Hachimura out there with Eightton. Then it’s LeBron James. And it’s Reeves in at the two spot. Just enough coverage to bother that three-point attempt and for Golden State outside. Curl fires the three and the three ball is good. Well, the defense is paying so much attention to what Stephen’s doing. It’s going to lead to baskets for this offense like that one. Here’s Reeds back to Dunic. passes to Hatchima. Green with the rebound. Green’s got rebound number 10 tonight with that last one. Four on the shot clock and no good that time. So the Lakers will take it the other way. They led by as many as 18 points. Anj passes to LeBron. Here’s Hatachimura guarded by Ker shooting foul. As the whistle blows, he’ll shoot two free throws. Oh man, putting points on the board. The defense being tough on Achimura. He is three for three from the free throw line. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. And the first one drops. And good on the second. So he makes them both. And here’s Curry who brings it up for the Warriors. They’ve only allowed two points so far here in the second half. And now around 2 minutes gone by in this half. Six on the shot clock 11 ft away. That miss is off the back. Yeah, my expectations were that he was not going to miss that one. He handles that kind of defense, especially on the inside. Warriors trail by five. It’s up a three and the Warriors miss again. Lakers have gone 0 of three and are still look looking for that first bucket here in the second half. Good on the bucket. Hatimura’s got four this quarter. Great balance as Hachimura takes that hit and still converts. Heat. Heat. A touch over two and a half minutes of basketball played here in the third quarter. His three-pointer is off the mark and he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. Eightton trying to break free. Reeves can’t hit. The Warriors have gone only one of six from the field in the third quarter. Not how they pictured the half start. And the pressure he put on that shot forced the miscue. Those are all the little things about effort there. He just gets out there and contests and that’s just enough. James Jimmy Butler with the rebound. Well, if you believe in the numbers, that mid-range shot is not a high value shot even with little or no defense on you. And that kind of stifling effort on defense needs another look. And this is how you protect and grow a league by making a huge effort on that end of the floor. Here’s Curry. Lays it up off the glass. Curry’s got 14 points for the game. Stephen Curry so creative as a finisher on the inside. Right hand, left hand. He’ll score around the defense. Now here’s LeBron. 12 points for him. trying to break that ice cold streak. No good that time. And Golden State will go the other way with it. They need a bucket in a big way here to regain some confidence. Here’s Reeves. Passes it to Hatchima. Here’s Donic. From 13 ft. It goes down. He has six. And breaking down some numbers here, the hustle stats for the Lakers. And they’ve shown great focus on the defensive end, putting constant pressure on the ball and really disrupted in terms of what they’ve done defensively. You also have to admire the way they’ve gotten out and run in transition and they’ve run wide. They’ve run their lanes. They’ve been doing it with a great pace and that’s produced some easy scores. The Lakers moving the ball around. Pass to Reeves. Just five on the clock. Shot from 16. Tries again and with the layup and the Lakers lead by nine. Ah, the classic big man play there. Just pushing right past the defense and finishing strong. Timeout called the Warriors. Young big men though often struggle to find consistency. But you look at Aiden’s first four seasons, the numbers are almost identical year to year. Heat. Heat. Vanderbilt’s checked in for the Lakers. Here’s Curry. 14 points for him. And for eight, the numbers are impressive indeed. averaging a double double every season and he’s got all the tools next steps making more plays for others and they’ve been working on his shooting range to open up the lane a bit more. James outside. Here’s Reeves and here is Vanderbilt. Six to shoot. Here’s Donic. Misses from close range. Warriors trail by seven. Releases. Quick shot there and it’s off target. Pretty lacks defense there. He’s going to see fewer and fewer chances if he can’t bury those kind of jumpers. No good on the triple. Los Angeles leading by seven. Eighton kicks to Donic. Here’s Reeves guarded by Ker on deep. He’s off on that one. And Golden State will go the other way with shoots. And again, it’s the Warriors missing. Los Angeles has gone 0 of two from deep to start things here in the second half. Feeds it to Eightton and the shot goes down. Eightton’s got six. Golden State’s gone into a slump here from three point range shooting just one of five here in the third. How about the timing he shows there to challenge that shot? Yeah, not easy to do there. And and that’s a guy that you can tell takes every possession defensively very seriously. And the all-around game of Donic, not just a score, but a great dimeropper as well. Notices his open teammates quickly. Here are the Lakers. They’re on a 12 to four run. Here’s Reeves. He has six. James finds Donic. Tries from 10. Good. And the assist goes to James. LeBron’s got three assists in the game. I’m not sure there’s a player in the game who sees the floor better than LeBron James. Now a timeout call by Golden State. Yeah, his shot is just not there tonight, guys. And instead of trying to shoot himself out of the slump, maybe he needs to start moving the ball around and creating for his teammates. One There you go. The Lakers making a switch here. Smarts checked in. Warriors trail by 13. Pass to Moody. releases from 15 and he wills that one in. Sinking right through off the back iron. Well, that that’s one way he can finish, but far from the only way he gets it done. He’s got all kinds of tricks up his sleeve. Now, here’s LeBron. 12 points for him. And there’s the pass to Donic. And again, it’s the Lakers in the mid-range. No longer a challenge for Donic. He has rapidly become one of the best three-level scorers in the game. Here’s He’s Jay. Can’t hit the turnaround jumper. Pass to Smart and the rebound goes to the Warriors. They’ve been struggling here on offense. Yeah, a bit of a dry spell for sure. Shot clock at six. misses the three and so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. They led by as many as 18 points. Smart dishes to Donic over healed. Donic. No good. Warriors trail by 13. In the corner, it’s healed. Pass to Sanchez. And here is Moody over Smart. Here’s Jay. Another shot. It’s hauled in by Lo Angeles. Donic has got doubledigit rebounds now in the game. Smart passes to Donic. James kicks to Smart. Pass to Aton. Now the pass to LeBron Los Angeles with another miss and not doing his team any favors jacking up three-pointers. He needs to realize that right away. Passes it to Moody. They can use a bucket. No good there. Nice D from Donic. Pass to Smart. Aiden up top on the wing. Donic. Jay with the rebound. Jay’s got it. Got six rebounds in the game. pass to Moody. Golden State moving the ball around. Healed can’t hit. And even with good coverage defensively that time, he has confidence to drill the three. Got to be careful once LeBron breaks the seal of the free throw line. There’s a lot of power and a lot of muscle coming at you. Usually it ends up with free throws. The Lakers have gone a perfect seven of seven from the line tonight. Definitely an area where they can improve. Only 73% as a team from the line last year. Take a break. Take a break. And he knocks down the first one. LeBron James coming into the league as a phenom has done some phenomenal things season after season. remaining a top talent in the league and continues to astound. Catching up on the changes for Los Angeles. Jackson A’s. He’s checked in for Vanderbilt and Vincent subbed in for Donic. So one for two that time at the strike to the paint. Can they get it? Rebounded by Smart. Lakers leading by 14. James in the post covered by Heel. Vincent’s shot is good. No way he’s going to pass that shot up. The D is way too far back and relaxed in getting out on. Now here’s Moody. And there’s the pass to Jay and foul on the shot. So he’ll get a chance at the line. That one on Smarts. The Warriors have shot five of six at the foul line tonight. Heat. Heat. First one falls for Hatchim is checked in for DeAndre Eaton. both good from the line that time. Los Angeles leading by 15. Vincent the pass to James. Here’s Vincent. Back to Smart. 17 seconds left in the third quarter. To the inside and the call on the shot that sends him to the line. Really the right plate defensively. If you can’t block, force him to the line. Los Angeles, they have knocked down eight of nine free throw attempts. I’d say those numbers read pretty well. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. That free throw missing. He hits the second from the line. Here’s Hee. on deep and that one released in time but no good. And as we end the third quarter, a double-digit deficit will make it tough to come back. Lakers lead by 16. It’s the NBA on 2K Sports from San Francisco. And there have been two very different performances from these teams today as we get going in quarter number four. And so James will bring it up for the Lakers. Taking a look at the Lakers, they’ve got LeBron James. Hayes out there with Ruy Himura. Then it’s Vincent and it’s Reeves in at the two. Warriors trail by 16 and he comes up with the deuce. You know, we have to see that great mobile one drive one more time. and putting that pressure on the rim. That’s what it’s all about, threatening with that attack. And Los Angeles, guys, uh shooting at 36%. They really seem out of sync offensively. It’s James at top the key, passes it to Vincent, and he loss it up toward the rim and Hayes throws it down. That’s nice vision there. You see that pass, you make the feed before the defense has a chance to react, and that opens up a a much better opportunity to score. Curry looking it over. Five on the clock from outside the arc. It doesn’t go for him. And the Lakers going the other way now. We’ve gone about a minute and a half into the fourth quarter. Here’s Vincent guarded by Curry. Vincent the pass to Reeves. The 11-footer and the rebound goes to the Warriors. Curry on the wing and it’s wide right hits off the rim. The defense there got away with a major lapse. Vincent the pass to Hatchima. Can’t cash in from close range. Warriors trail by 16. It’s Curry outside. Another miss by Curry. Vincent. The pass to Reeves. LeBron outside. Pass to Vincent. Lots of room and good. Got the English that time as it falls. Can’t talk enough about the subtleties in that setup right there. The assist really the key to that entire sequence. Covered by LeBron. No one near Curry as he lets it go again. Curry missing. And I thought that was going to drop. It looked good from here. Pass to Reeves. Lakers working the ball around now. There’s the pass to Hayes. Tries yet again trying to get open is Hetime Murray. And it’s still a rare sight to see rebound numbers like the ones he’s had tonight. Well, this kind of effort effort will energize the team and get you going. Just gobbling up every board. Now, that’s excellent. Get the ball down deep inside and cash in on a simple basket to the middle. Here’s Reeves. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. First free throw is good and Los Angeles with some changes. Eightton comes in for Jackson Hayes and Donic is subbed in for Vincent. And so he hits both. And a little over 3 and 1/2 minutes in the books so far here in the fourth. He’s covered by Eightton. Inside Outside for Curry and it’s off from three-point range. Here’s Reeves. The shot missing. The Warriors go the other way with it outside. Green. Two free throws coming up and they call the shooting foul. Rui Himura picks one up. Yeah, we know he’s undersized for the position, but Draymond Green does the work of several men, including how he forces the D that time to foul, two And the first one at the line is good. Both free throws good from Green. Lakers leading by 16. Passes to Reeves. And here is Donic guarded by Kurt. And it’s Curry with the rebound. And so Curry will bring it up for Golden State. So far in the fourth quarter, they’ve just six points. Shot from 12. That’s in for his fifth make of the night. Now shooting at a 50% clip. Five for 10. Hatchim is going to take all those mid-range shots if he can get them. Outside Curry and the Warriors miss again. I think if I was coaching these guys right now, especially him, I’d tell them, “You take one more three-point shot and we’re going to have some some conversations here side by side.” Warriors trail by 18 to the left wing and Jimmy Butler good for three. That’s experience. Butler just understands where to be. LeBron outside. Back to Donic in the corner. It’s James. Shot on the wing and he overshot that one. Missing. Well, he finds some space in that in between gap there. Too bad he can’t release that one on target. Donic left side. Oh, in position up high to stuff the alleyoop. As long as passes are in that area, going to get up and go down. Some nice passing by Golden Stadium. Hatimura against Green. Shooting foul. As the whistle blows, he’ll shoot two free throws. The first free throw is Good. Both shots good from the strike. Los Angeles leading by 15. Anj passes to Reeves. Here’s Hatchima. Aton trying to break free. Hatchima no good. Golden State’s gotten some tough luck from three-point range in the fourth quarter. They’ve hit just one of six from deep. Curry on the wing guarded by Donic. Four on the clock. launches a three and it’s Eightton with the rebound. Eightton’s got his 16th rebound on the night. Reeves the pass to James. Jimmy Butler with the rebound. Well, after an impressive first half, he’s just not been able to get the room or get anything going here in the second. to the paint. Here’s Curry. Rebounded by the Lakers. Donic has got rebound number 13 with that last one. LeBron James on the wing. Hon looking to get it going. He hits the back iron and sinks the shot. And the Lakers lead by 17. And it doesn’t matter if Luca is working on or off the ball. You have to stay connected to him defensively. Down low and he could not get that one to go. Lot of contact and he’ll go to the line for two. Jays checked in for the Warriors. First one falls for and he can’t hit the second. And here’s James. He’ll bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Reeves can’t hit. Warriors trail by 16. on its way from Curry for two and they cash in right away with the quick shot. Draymond Green patient enough to know when his teammates are running around. At some point, one’s going to break open. Then he finds him. Timeout called the Lakers. And as things present themselves throughout a game, teams have to adapt on the fly. And timeouts are a wonderful opportunity to just settle in and recollect the thoughts of your entire team. Not just the guys playing, but the entire team. And now, let’s take a look at the New balance player of the game, Luca Donuch. And the way he’s made his mark with his work inside, he’s just been a slasher tonight. Always moving, getting to the basket at will and just seemingly taking advantage of a D that was reluctant to get in his way. He’s really seem to feed off the hostile environment he’s been faced with tonight. Getting the latest now from our sideline reporter, David Aldridge. David, it’s all yours. Take it away. Well, I had a chance to find out what Los Angeles’s coach was going over with his guys. He talked about the mindset that they need to have and what he wants to see the rest of the way. Engagement at both ends and making good decisions with the ball, guys. All right. Thank you, David. That one’s in there. The Lakers lead is cut down now to just 12 on the basket from Jimmy Butler. This a great show of Butler’s upper body strength right there as he plays through the contact. Now here’s Donic. James right side. Got it. Good job in the low post. That’s just good basketball. I think King James down low is not a bad option. Curry against Donic. to the paint and that’s good. A nice job on the glass as they pick up two on the second effort. The tenacity on that interior just battling, bringing that effort and will for second chance points. He takes it in. Gets rebounded by Golden State. Golden State moving the ball around. Here’s Curry and the rejection by Eaton. Oh man, it’s 71. Not a good idea to challenge Aton there. And contact on the shot. So he’ll be shooting free throws here. Two shots. Heat. Heat. break. First free throw is good. And that’s good as he hits both of his shots. Warriors trail by 14. outside. Curry unloads, nails the wideopen jump shot. Curry’s got four points in the quarter. Well, the D has to pressure Curry at all times. You can’t let him shake free for a jumper. Reeves the pass to Hatchima. Here’s Reeves. Lets it go. Yes. And it’s LeBron picking up the assist. And the Lakers lead by 14. Now that’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, the coach over there just asking for one simple thing and that’s some effort got burned on that one and and so only one team answered the bell tonight, guys. Not a monster blowout by any means, but still a double- digit victory for the Lakers tonight. They did a great job of getting everyone involved. They had the good passing and that led to some open shots. Solid play definitely, Kevin. And a lot of players tonight helped contribute to this performance, but in particular a real good game it was for LeBron serving up feeds all night long. He was the best teammate that they had on the floor. And he makes that one. And so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. They led by as many as 18 points, but the truth is they’ve had control of this game. Yeah, looks like a veteran team tonight getting out on the road, playing with assertiveness, confidence, fully in control for this win. And there’s the whistle on the shot. Took the foul. Shot misses. He’ll be shooting two. Yeah. And you don’t want to put Curry at the line. That’s just dangerous. And pretty much two points. Stephen the best free throw shooter ever. two. The first one falls and Curry still feels like he has a ton to prove. That is championship fiber. That drive helps elevate his game. That one falls. So he hits both of them. 20 seconds left here in the fourth quarter and the Lakers can just let the clock run down here. Here’s Vincent guarded by Kerr. Here’s Vincent. So, it’s Los Angeles winning this one easily. A solid win on the road for them. This building was dead silent by the time G this one wound down. And that’s what you want to do. Take the crowd out of it by crunch time. don’t give them any chance to lift their team up at the finish. Well folks, that’s going to do it for now. For Brent Barry, Greg Anthony, and David Aldridge, this is Kevin Harland along with our 2K Sports crew thanking you for tuning in. We’ll see you later. Well, the pace figures to be fast tonight. Two teams that thrive when the tempo is at its quickest. You’re going to love this one. Up and down. Neither squad likes to use too much of the shot clock. They’ll be looking to get out in transition every time they get a chance. So, let’s take a look at the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup. They’ve got Rui Aimura. He’s out there with DeAndre Aton. LeBron James out there with Luca Donuch. And it’s Reeves in at the two. Clock at four. The shot by James. No good. Missed opportunity. It’s a makeable shot for him. He just can’t get it to go. The three from Curry tries again. The shot no good. So the Lakers will take it the other way. Himura the pass to Donic and he buries his first look at about 230 lbs. Donets is a low down low. Check by James and the Warriors miss again. Aimura finds Donic. Here’s Aimura. Not going to go that time. Green with the defensive effort. The Warriors have gone 0 for three from the floor to begin this one. Back to Curry. Puts it up. And again, no good by Golden State. The defender took away the airspace, crowded him. That changed the shot. Here’s Donic. Here’s Aiden. Soft touch off the glass. Yeah, this is where Aiden’s comfortable operating using his height and array of inside moves to his advantage. Pass to Green. He shoots a three and again no good by Golden State. Curry against Donic. Donic is doubled. Here’s Aimura. The shot is good. Don it’s making the play. Sometimes it’s simple. Put the ball in the hands of your scorers and let them do what they do best. started. Golden State calls timeout. There’s no way coach likes this effort level. They need to refocus. It’s so easy to get run over when you lose even a little edge. Look for them to come out much more aggressive. Keep going. Heat. Heat. About three minutes gone in the first quarter. Outside Curry shot to end the cold streak. Rebound by the Lakers. No one can make headlines like LeBron. There was a ton of buzz when he talked about teaming up with his son in the NBA someday. They’re really settling into a nice rhythm now. Starting to gain the upper hand. They’re playing well. They’re building momentum. This is how they can turn a small league into a big one. And it’s the Warriors with the ball. The Lakers getting their last shot to go. The offensive rebound. Second chance effort and he takes it up and lays it in. Finally a make for this team. Hopefully it gives them a little confidence. For whatever reason they came in a little tight tonight. That should loosen them up. Now here’s Donic and he’s going for the oop here to the middle. Gets it to drop now. two of four. Great pass to set your man up with a high percentage look. You know, whether it happens or not, I I think everyone would like to see LeBron and his son play together. Smitty BA, I think it would be one of the coolest things to take place in the league. We’ve seen it in other sports, but for it to happen in the NBA, it would be awesome. The Warriors trailing down low. It’s stolen by Donic. James outside. Donic outside. Back to James. The shot is good. Donic making the play. James has gotten his second bucket with elite passing skills and court vision. Donic is an advanced distributor for his age. And that’s a foul called on Stephen Curry. That’s his first foul. And just a great job of getting there first and absorbing the contact. Dantic with it. There’s James on the wing. The shot off that time. The Warriors go the other way with it. Pass to Curry. Was covered by Eaton. Here’s Green and he was fouled while in the act of shooting. So he’ll take two free throws. It’s on Ruy Aimura. Great decision from Draymond to go up into the D there with his big body. Such an intelligent player. A chance to catch up on some numbers here. The scoring breakdown for the Lakers. Establishing a paint presence early in the game. It really helps and pays big dividends down the line cuz it frees up your perimeter. And I just love playing on teams like this, passing teams. You can tell they really like playing with each other. And hopefully they keep this up. No good on the free throw. Over the years, no team in the NBA has had more star power than the Lakers. They always have at least one future Hall of Famer on the roster. He hits the second from the line. You know, when we talk about the Lakers, you expect him to have a superstar. BA starting with Wilt in the 60s, then Kareem during the 70s, Magic dominating the 80s, and more recently Shaq and Kobe, LeBron and AD, the biggest names flocked to LA. Six to shoot. Here’s Reeves. He’s covered by Curry. Out of bounds as Los Angeles keeps possession. Donic outside. James outside. Six on the shot clock. And the officials will call the illegal screen here. One of the trickier plays to judge, but it would be hard to argue against the call. It’s often a tough call that can go either way, but I agree with you on that one. Check by James. Back to Curry. Pass to Green from behind the ark. And Aiden pulls it down. The Lakers in the lead. Three-pointer. Here’s James from down in the low post. It goes. James has got six points. Dominant. I mean, a dominant play from LeBron James on the offensive glass ensuring his team gets their points. James with a steal. Fast break. Here come the Lakers. Gets rebounded by Golden State. Here’s Curry. Boy, he’s been patient so far. Nothing yet on the scoreboard. Shot clock at six. The shake. That shot no good. Some solid defense from James. uses the glass to finish the layup and the Lakers lead by nine. They’re punishing those late defensive rotations, getting good looks inside throughout the half. Outside Green to the paint. Here’s Curry and Aiden pulls it down. Aiden’s got four rebounds now. Pass to Reeves to the middle. Aiden no good. Golden State with the ball and he buries his first look. Yeah, good recognition there. Draymond exploits the heart of that defense for Los Angeles. They’ve gone seven of 16 so far. And here’s James. Now here’s Hachimura. Green covering Hachimura. The pass to Donic. gets it to drop. Now two of four and the strength of Donic allows him to play through contact. Surprised he didn’t get the start treatment there. No whistle. Boy, they’d love if anyone could get a bucket. Yeah, their offense has been grinding to a halt. Now a timeout called by Golden State. Coach definitely wants to talk about their interior defense, which has not been impressive. It’s a matter of want to helping out contesting shots. You have to want to make the effort. Heat. Heat. And some changes here for the Lakers. Hayes has checked in for DeAndre Aton. Vanderbilt comes in for Achie Mura. And Smart subbed in for Reeves. Here’s Moody. Outside Curry pass to Moody from deep. It’s hauled in by Luca Donuch. Los Angeles has gone 0 for two from outside. Here’s Smart. Tipped. Curry against Donic. Fadeaway rebound. The Lakers. James has got five rebounds in the game. and finished off by Hayes. Woo! I just love that alleyoop slam. Ba defense disorganized, defense pays. Here’s Moody defended by Smart. Back to Curry. The three is up. Rebound. The Lakers. James has got his sixth rebound on the night. Pass to Smart. Green against Vanderbilt. Oh, and makes it with the kiss. They’ve been very effective so far. A balanced attack at its best and it’s helped them build an early lead. They just need to stay aggressive. Now, here’s Curry. Well, quiet so far offensively searching for his first points of the game. Donic no good. I’ll tell you what, I think he thought that was going in. I sure did. Over the course of his career, Jimmy Butler’s made strides in a lot of areas. He’s really matured as a playmaker in the past several seasons. Well, Smitty, we’ve seen an uptick in Butler’s assists since he moved on from the 76ers. Yeah, we’re not going to start calling him Jimmy Dimes. We know passing has played a big part of his game. He trusts his teammate. He doesn’t feel the need to always take over, but Jimmy is definitely a scorer. And the first one at the line is good. You know, with a strong presence, great toughness, Jimmy Butler has a major effect on the culture of your team. Heels checked in for Draymond Green. He’s perfect from the line this time. Here’s Donic. James outside. Pass to Smart. Donic outside. Back to Smart. fires the three. That one is off. The Warriors go the other way with it. Right side heel outside. Curry. Moody from outside after missing his first attempt. Now one for two. Such a clever facilitator. Steph Curry is fantastic at noticing when his teammates are uncovered. Now here’s Vanderbilt. Back to Donic and the bucket counts and he is on his way to the line. He’ll try to make it a three-point play and the Warriors making a switch here. One shot. One shot. And when we talk about franchise players, guys who can carry a team, Luca Donuch is one of the few guys in that category. Now here’s Heel. Well, he hasn’t put up any points yet in this one down low. Here’s Moody guarded by Donic and he’s going to the line for two. The officials saw contact while he was going up. Shooting two. And he drops a first. Second free throw. No good. Los Angeles has gone 0 for three from downtown. James right side. Oh, and he got fouled on his way up. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. Great scorers have this ability. Let LeBron get that close, that’s two points or a trip to the line. 2. First free throw is good. When it comes to longevity and skill, no one has done it better than LeBron James. He’s in a category all to himself. That one falls. So he hits both of them. And the Warriors shooting pretty low at 24% in this first quarter. Pass to heel. Here’s Moody guarded by Donic. 26 seconds left to play in the first quarter. Here’s Jay. Doesn’t go for him. Some solid defense from Hayes. Oh, he tries a three. Can’t hit that one. Guarded by Donic. Takes it inside and the powerful one-handed slam. And what an aggressive move to the rim. He’s really trying to fire up his teammates right now. Boy, it’s not hard to feel inspired after a teammate makes that kind of finish. The problem is your opponent is making big plays as well. I’ll be curious to see the response. So, as we end the first quarter, already a double-digit ball game. Lakers ahead, leading by 10. And we’ll be back in just a minute with the start of the second quarter. Great to have you with us. Second quarter of basketball. This game has not exactly been neck and neck, but plenty of time left in this one. Taking a look at the Lakers performance here, guys. What are your thoughts? Well, I think it’s pretty obvious they were well prepared defensively coming in. Yes, what they do, they take away the things that teams like to do offensively, also keeping them out of sync. Well, you ask any team executive, they’re all looking for the next Giannis. The problem is there aren’t many like Giannis. That is so true, BA. Good luck with that team executives. But reality, look, with the way the NBA game has evolved, positionless basketball is what it’s all about. You combine that with size, skill, and talent, that’s a dangerous combination, and that’s what every team needs. So on the floor for the Lakers to kick off the second quarter. We’ve got LeBron James. Ruy Hachimura is out there with DeAndre Aiden. Then it’s Gabe Vincent and it’s Reeves in at the two guard position. Gives us a chance to catch up with Alli Leforce. Well guys, Jimmy Butler’s focus is all on team success. In fact, his agent said whenever he calls Jimmy to congratulate him on personal accolades like AllNBA team, for example, Jimmy hangs up in his face before he can finish the sentence. Brian for Butler. There’s only one prize that really matters. Yeah, he’s a rare breed, Ally, for sure. Thanks for that. Here’s James after the Warriors picking up a basket just a moment ago. Here’s Vincent. Sends it home from three-point land. Vincent’s gotten himself on the board with a three there. He made the most of that opening, teaching the defense a lesson. Here’s Jay Aimura covering. Here’s the three. He drops it from range. He’s got five. And both teams running long range plays that are working. How often do we see this these days? Clubs answering each other from range. Here’s Reeves. Back to Vincent. Five to shoot. to the wing on the left. Puts one up from 19. The shot by Reeves. No good. And even with the miss, that’s a high percentage shot for him. From 18 ft away. Achimurro with a rebound for Los Angeles. They’ve got two of three shots to go in the second. Pass to Aiden. Oh, he nails that one. Three for four now. Grown man strength right there. Aiden just pushing through contact and getting it done. Here’s Jay. Quarter two and just under two and a half minutes gone by and Aiden pulls it down for Los Angeles. They’ve gotten three or four field goals in the second quarter. Pass to Vincent. Now Aimura and out of bounds. The Warriors will take it. And we have to take another look at that block. Oh my. Oh my. And that was textbook defense positioning himself well to send it back. And the Warriors making a change here. And the Warriors shooting poorly at only 28%. And here in the second quarter, about 3 minutes played. Pass to Heel. Green up top. Clock at six. Gets some space and burries the jumper. Green’s got five. Smart shot from Green. That’s a look he’s comfortable taking all the time. Up top, Aiden. And so he draws the foul headed to the line to shoot a pair. It’s going to go on Draymond Green. Got to be careful how you guard Aiden. He’s so creative at finding ways to draw fouls. Good job. That’s good from Aiden. And when Aiden isn’t playing basketball, either the live or video game version, he’s often drawing. Yeah. I mean, he grew up wanting to be an architect. I actually hear that he loves blueprints, but probably his most famous sketch himself dunking on Joel Embiid his rookie year. That one misses. So, he goes one for two. Yeah. What I appreciate about Aidton is that he wants to keep getting better. You have to be excited about his future. Had a chance there to cut it to single digits, but it’s off target. And the Lakers shooting about 47%. A nice number. Here’s James. And again, no good by the Lakers. The Warriors have gotten five of eight attempts to drop since the second began. Curry against Aimura. There’s the three. Curry’s shot is off. I know he’s on a cold streak, but he can’t let that get in his head. And his rhythm, it’s been way off. The goal now might be to get him something easy at the rim so he can just see the ball go in through the net and that helps. The find from Buddy Hill. I’d like to see him do that more. Spread the ball around. Fantastic replay. We just saw of the mobile one drive. had taken the onus on himself to make something happen. Got it into the teeth of the defense and made them pay. Now here is James. Give him eight points now. Has to whistle. He’ll head to the line to shoot two. It’s going to go on Draymond Green. Well, that was clearly a foul. Heat. Heat. Free throw good. Aimura. And both free throws good for Aimura. Golden State has gone one of two from deep in the second quarter. Heel passes to Green to the inside and play stops. A whistle there on what looks like an illegal screen. The screener was leaning a bit right there. His feet may not have been planted. Pretty obvious call by the officials. So difficult to stay planted, especially with all the motion around you. Annoying turnover. Here’s Reeves. Pass to Vincent. James outside. Shot clock at six. Inside. tipped, bananked it in off the glass. James has got 10 points in the game. Attacking the heart of the defense. LeBron doing his work inside the paint. From outside the ark, sinks the tray. Seven points in the game. How can you lead this guy that wide open, please? That’s terrible. Pass to Reeves. Now here’s Hashimura. He can’t get that one to fall. Green with the defensive effort. The floater rebound. The Lakers. James has got nine rebounds in the game. Boy, he’s getting it done. Pass to Reeves. Back to Vincent bearing his second of three attempts. That’s just good basketball. Can’t ask for a better look. Heel against James. Here’s Curry and he hits it. That makes him one for six for the game. More than just a score. He moves the ball well, especially when his guys are open. Back to James. Here’s Reeves. Pass to Vincent. Warriors with the rebound. Oh, and a fast break for the Warriors. The three from Curry. The shot comes out and it’s the Lakers the other way. 13 points was their biggest lead of the game. It’s tipped. Here’s Hee off the mark. Had a chance there to trim it to single digits. Here’s James up again. Great positioning on the putback. I mean, come on. a 7-footer with a 75 wingspan. Aiden beats everyone to the ball and converts easily. And the Warriors miss again. The Lakers have gotten six shots to fall out of 13 attempts here on the second. To the inside, here’s Reeves. The shot no good. And Golden State will go the other way with it. He’s covered by Aiden from the low block. Oh, a clear foul there on the missed shot. So, he’ll get a pair at the line. shooting two. First one falls for him. Jimmy Butler’s checked in for heels. No good on the second free throw. Los Angeles shooting at a 43% clip during the second. And Aidton with the stuff. Excellent timing by Aton on the alley pass. He’s perfectly positioned to throw it down. Aimura covering releases second chance shot and he got the whistle on the way up. So he’ll be headed to the line for a pair. It’s going to be on DeAndre Aton. Take a break. Take a break. Two shots. The first one falls. Moody’s checked in for the Warriors. So after making the first, he goes one for two. The Lakers have gotten seven of 15 shots here in the second quarter. Donic against Curry. Donic shot is good. Donic has got nine points. Fearless play by Donic in the paint, ready to do whatever it takes to find his shot. Pass to Moody. Smart with the defensive effort for Los Angeles. They’ve gotten half their shots to fall in the second. Eight for 16. They’re really dictating the tempo on both ends of the court. You love it. This has been an impressive performance tonight. Even with a big lead, they’ve maintained their focus. Here’s Moody. Vanderbilt pulls it in and the Lakers shooting about 47%. A nice number. Donic outside. Out of bounds. It’ll be Warriors ball. Golden State has gone two of five from distance here in the second quarter. Pass to Curry. Lets it fly. He’s got it. That makes him two for eight. Hopefully he can get it going now. Rise and fire. This is Steph’s mindset. Looks to score immediately after he gets the pass. Back to Donic. 146 left in the first half of basketball. Aim from long range. It doesn’t go for him. And it’s the Warriors taking it the other way. Here’s Moody defended by Smart. And he can’t get that one. Ooh, excellent D there from Aiden. Goes back up. Here’s Aimura. And finally, they hit one. Aimura’s got four points in the quarter. Relentless on the offensive glass. And then you love the finish. 59 seconds left in the first half. Oh, it’s stolen by Aimura. Pass to Aiden. Just five on the clock. Offensive rebound. Oh, and the jam by Aton. And this is how dynamic Aidan can be on the offensive end. Keep giving him the ball, please. 23 seconds left to play in the first half. Knocks down the long J. Curry’s got seven points. Easy look when the defender isn’t fighting over the screen. Reason why it takes extra energy to do it. You have to trust your defensive rotations, but it’s worth it. Oh, Green with a block. What a play from Draymond to rise up and send it back. He really takes pride in his defense. And so it’s Los Angeles liking their chances, ending the quarter with a 15-point lead. Defense is setting the tone. Well, now a minute to check in with Ally Leforce. She’s courtside. Hey Ally. Thanks a lot, guys. Head coach Steve Kerr here with us now. Coach, what do you want to see from this team in the second half? Well, we got to make some stops and get a little traction in this game. I mean, we fell behind right away and uh so let’s make a push the first four or five minutes, get back in the game. Thank you, coach. Thanks, Ally. After the break, we’ll see you right back here to begin quarter number three. It’s the 2K Sports Halftime Show. Hello again, folks. Ernie Johnson here with Kenny the Jet Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. It’s the NBA on 2K Sports and let’s talk the first half. DeAndre Aton was on fire in the first half. He had 13 points and 10 rebounds. He didn’t perform up to his standards in their last game. Tonight’s a different story. He obviously has a short memory. What you think, Kenny, about what we saw from the Lakers. What a true demonstration of dominance. They made a commitment to owning the glass and they made good on it. Blocking out, competing hard in traffic. That’s the way you should play on both ends of the court. Shaq, how do you think the Warriors were playing? Well, they’re not finding good shots and that starts with their ball movement. Too much hero basketball. They need to sharpen up the attack. More motion, quick cuts, get the ball inside. There’s no way they’re coming back with that type of play. And that should do it. With the second half about to begin, let’s send you back to Kevin Harland. Go back to Kevin Harland. Go. Just go over there. And as we dive into the second half, we’ll find out if the next two quarters are any different from the first two. So far, it’s been a runaway. We’re seeing a tremendous game from DeAndre Aiden. And given that he’s just delivered a double double through two quarters, I’m excited to see his stats at the end of the night. They’re asking a lot of him, shouldering the load in a number of areas. You just hope he has enough left at the end. Just about ready for the second half here. A big comeback is needed for this game to be competitive and it probably has to happen quickly. Now here’s Curry. James with the rebound. James has got 11 rebounds in the game. And for the Lakers, they’ve got Luca Donic. DeAndre Aiden is out there with Rui Aimura. Then there’s LeBron James. And it’s Reeves in at the two spot. A remarkable defensive play. The replay showing once again the tenacity on that end. Let’s see if that block can amp up this team. I mean, they’re looking for anything to get themselves going. And for the Warriors, they’re shooting poorly. Just 30% so far. And for the Warriors, Aimura against Green. and he takes that one up and powers it through. Showing patience, taking time to read the defense. Draymond finds the open man. Here’s Reeves. James passes to Aimura. And here’s Donic. He’s covered by Curry. Free throw line jumper. The shot by James. No good. And so it’s Golden State with it. They haven’t given up any points here in the second half. The rebounding numbers make it obvious why they’re in front. Effort’s been there. Check mark. The physicality. Check mark. They set the tone for this game early on. Now here’s Hashimura. He has six to the paint. Here’s Donic. And Donic with the jam. That’s what happens when you let Donic get this close. Using his vertical to perfection. Check by James from the strike and good. Got the friendly bounce off the right side of the rim. He’s got 10. Well, Los Angeles shooting around 44%. Not bad. Curry against Donic. James outside. Donic on the wing. And they doubled up. Donic. And there’s James from the ark. The Warriors pull it in. A little over two and a half minutes off the clock in this final half of play. Curry against Donic. Now here’s Curry. He’s covered closely. Good D by Donic to the middle. And there’s James on the assist by Donic. James has got 12 points and just executing at a high level. I mean, taking what the defense allows and putting in the work. The reason why they’ve stayed aggressive and they have not let up this entire night. And at this point, I wouldn’t expect him to. Tough break for the defense. I mean, he took the hit, but he didn’t get the call. So, both teams changing it up here. A Hayes finds Aiden. James outside Donic and the layup is good off the glass. Donic has got four points now in the quarter. The passing of LeBron is so special. So talented at finding his wide open teammates. Here’s Jay. He’s covered by Aiden. Curry shot is off. It’s one thing to prevent the layup. It’s another to do it without fouling. Just terrific defense. And there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. This is what we talk about. value in each possession, avoiding those kinds of mistakes. The Warriors have gotten only two of seven shots to go in the third quarter. Curry against Donic. Launches it. Rebounded by the Lakers. Hayes has got four rebounds now. James outside. Here’s Donic gets rebounded by Golden State. Green’s got rebound number eight here. Already in the game and he’s headed to the line for two. He gets the whistle there. And a look now at how the offensive approach has been going here so far for Los Angeles. I think they’ve looked to dump it down low as often as possible. And so far they’ve been super successful using this attack. Yeah. Another thing they did well, running the floor. They’ve kept the pace high and pulled away with their transition offense. He’s off on the first and the Warriors making a switch here. Heels checked in. Vincent’s checked in for Los Angeles. Good on the second one for Los Angeles. They’ve gotten three of six shots to fall so far in the third. Pass to Aiden. Here’s Vincent. He’s got five. Oh, plenty of contact on that shot. Officials call the foul and he’ll take two free throws now. shooting two. And he knocks down the first one. Both shots good from the strike. The Warriors have gotten just 25% of their shots to fall since the half. Two for eight. Three-pointer off the mark. And the call is going to be yes, an illegal screen. The screener was leaning a bit right there. His feet may not have been planted. Pretty obvious call by the officials. So difficult to stay planted, especially with all the motion around you. Annoying turnover. Driving in. And he converts the layup. 12 points for him. allowing any room to operate. You know, he’s going to be aggressive. Here’s James. It’s rebounded by Golden State. Not sure if that’s the shot you were looking for, but it’s a fairly clean look. Almost have to take it from the wing. Misses off the right iron. The Lakers shooting at about 44% and so far. Oh, and the jam by Aton. Yeah, looking at Aton using all of his height and reach, slamming it down on a helpless defense. Pass to Heel to the paint. So, it’ll be two free throws. He was fouled in the act of shooting. A prolific scorer dating back to his college days. Heel just understands how to generate points. That’s good from heel. When you talk about the best shooters in the NBA, Buddy Hill has to be in the conversation. Vanderbilts checked in for the Lakers. He hits them both. It’s not luck that he’s so steady at the line. It’s through repetition and hard work. Pass to James. Hayes inside. The shot. No good. And Golden State will come the other way. Inside. Here’s Jay. Oh, he got him with a pump fake, but he couldn’t finish. The Lakers have gone four of nine in the third quarter. Here’s Vincent. Had a missed layup. Golden State has gone 0 for two from outside here in the third. Now here’s heel. The D’s right on him. Drops one in from the wing. He’s got 14. Oh, nice speed. On time and on target. Count it for Vincent. And the Lakers lead by 16. The Warriors shooting about 31% here in quarter number three. Back to heel. They grab their own miss. Another shot. And it’s Jay missing for Los Angeles. They’ve gone five of 11 in this third quarter. James outside. Six to shoot. Pass to Reeves. The three goes up again. And there’s a nice layup by James. James has got four points in the quarter. I mean, he’s ignoring the score.
NBA LIVE! Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers | August 16, 2025 | Warriors vs Lakers | 2K25
#NBA #Warriors #Lakers #2025NBAPreSeason #WarriorsvsLakers
ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.
Recommended for you NEW
Recommended
NBA,Warriors vs Lakers,NBA Full Game Highlights today,2025 NBA Season,Warriors vs Lakers Highlights,Warriors vs Lakers 2025,NBA Full Game Highlights 2025,Warriors vs LakersHighlights 2025,Lakers vs Warriors,Lakers vs Warriors 2025,Lakers vs Warriors Highlights 2025,Warriors vs Lakers Full Game Highlights,Warriors vs Lakers Full Game Highlights 2025,NBA Highlights today,NBA Highlights 2025,NBA pre season,Stephen Curry,draymond green,NBA 2025,Warriors
