Anthony Davis, the Lakers’ quiet superstar, the one more ready with a sarcastic counterpunch than the lead blow, flexed his muscles and howled into the crisp air.
His baseline drive in the final minute put the Lakers ahead by six points, putting them on the brink of what would be a 113-105 win.
Still shorthanded, the Lakers quickly built a 20-point lead against the NBA’s defending champions in the first quarter Sunday at Crypto.com Arena. Then they spent the rest of the day desperately trying to hold on to the smallest slices of it.
While the Warriors would tie the score once in the third quarter and once in the fourth, they never could not take the lead and push ahead.
Davis scored 39 and a returning Stephen Curry had 27 for the Warriors, who also got Andre Iguodala back in their lineup. The Lakers were still without LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell, with Russell progressing and “trending” in a positive direction toward a return.
Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 16 points off the bench, dishing out eight assists. All five starters scored at least 10, with Jarred Vanderbilt grabbing 13 rebounds and Dennis Schroder finishing with 11 points and six assists while doing his best to disrupt Curry.
But it was Davis, the go-to guy, in the first and fourth quarters who pushed the Lakers ahead, snapping the Warriors five-game winning streak.
It’s the third time this season the Lakers beat Golden State, all coming since the trade deadline.
The Lakers will play Memphis, who will be without Ja Morant, at home on Tuesday.
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