Lakers vs. Warriors: Golden State Erases a 23-Point First-Quarter Hole to Beat Los Angeles 112-95 in the NBA Cup
Luka Doncic outscored the Warriors by himself in the first quarter, 21-15 — and Golden State answered with the first comeback of its kind in the shot-clock era, tying the game by halftime and running away in the fourth.
The Golden State Warriors produced a comeback with no precedent in the modern record book on Friday night, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 112-95 in NBA Cup group play at Chase Center after trailing by 23 points at the end of the first quarter, USA TODAY reported. Golden State is the first team in the shot-clock era, dating to 1954-55, to trail by at least 23 after the first quarter and tie the game by halftime.
The first quarter belonged entirely to Luka Doncic. The Lakers star scored 21 points in the period — outscoring the entire Warriors roster, which managed 15 — as Los Angeles built a 38-15 lead and silenced the home crowd. Then the game flipped completely: Golden State outscored Los Angeles 38-15 in the second quarter, the exact mirror of the first, and the teams went to halftime tied at 53.
The duel produced its highlight in the third quarter, when Stephen Curry put Doncic on the floor with a series of dribble moves and drained a 3-pointer over him — and Doncic answered with a shot of his own at the other end. Los Angeles briefly led by nine in the third, but an 18-0 Warriors run in the fourth put the game away, and the Lakers emptied their bench in the final minutes.
Doncic finished with a game-high 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the loss, while Austin Reaves added 21 points on 9-of-19 shooting with eight turnovers. Golden State improves to 3-3 with the Cup win; Los Angeles, which arrived at 4-1, falls to 4-2 and likely needs to run the rest of its group-play table to reach the knockout rounds. The Lakers host Toronto on Sunday night.
