Warriors Beat Lakers 112-95: Stephen Curry Scores 31 as Golden State Erases a 25-Point Hole

The Lakers looked like they were headed for a second straight blowout of Golden State. Then the Warriors flipped the game completely.

Stephen Curry scored 31 points with six assists and four rebounds, and the Warriors erased an early 25-point deficit to beat Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers 112-95 on Friday night, Oct. 30, at Chase Center in San Francisco, according to the Associated Press. The game counted in the Emirates NBA Cup’s West Group C.

Doncic finished with 37 points, seven rebounds and five assists, but the Lakers could not repeat their win over Golden State in the teams’ season opener last week in Los Angeles.

Lakers vs. Warriors: final score by quarter

The swing was striking. The Lakers won the first quarter 38-15, and the Warriors won the second by the exact same score to tie it at 53 at the half. From there, Golden State outscored Los Angeles 59-42 over the final two quarters.

How the Warriors came back

Doncic was close to unstoppable early. He had 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, with five 3-pointers, five assists and two steals in the first quarter alone, AP reported. Golden State also turned the ball over 10 times in the opening period.

The second quarter changed everything. According to AP, Golden State became the first team in the shot clock era, playoffs included, to trail by 23 or more points after one quarter and be tied or ahead at halftime.

The 17-point final margin was also the largest win in the shot clock era for a team that trailed by 20 or more at the end of the first quarter, AP said. The previous best belonged to the Warriors themselves: on March 4, 1976, they trailed the Bulls 41-18 after one quarter and won 124-110.

The Warriors’ bench made a big difference. NBA.com’s team stats show Golden State’s reserves outscoring the Lakers’ bench 50-7.

Stephen Curry passes Dominique Wilkins

Curry’s night came with a milestone. In the fourth quarter he passed Dominique Wilkins (26,668 points) for 18th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, AP reported.

In the third quarter, Curry hit a 3 over Doncic at the 6:22 mark, and Doncic answered with a 3 of his own moments later.

Luka Doncic stats and the technicals

Doncic’s line: 37 points, seven rebounds, five assists. After his huge first quarter, he scored 16 points the rest of the way.

Tempers flared late. Doncic was called for a technical foul with 21.8 seconds left in the third quarter as fans chanted and booed at him, and teammate Matisse Thybulle got a technical in the fourth, according to AP.

The Lakers did make Golden State pay for mistakes, scoring 25 points off 17 Warriors turnovers. Los Angeles committed 20 turnovers of its own, which the Warriors turned into 27 points, per NBA.com.

Warriors box score leaders

• Stephen Curry: 31 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds
• Brandin Podziemski: 21 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds
• De’Anthony Melton: 16 points off the bench
• Georges Niang: 11 points off the bench

Records and what’s next

Both teams sit at .500 or better in the early standings. ESPN’s recap lists the Lakers at 4-2 and the Warriors at 3-3 after Friday’s game.

• Lakers: host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night, Nov. 1.
• Warriors: host the LA Clippers on Sunday night, Nov. 1.

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