The last time the Golden State Warriors played the Los Angeles Lakers, it was a game to forget at Oracle Arena, as even them losing LeBron James to an injury was not enough to avoid an embarrassing loss on national t.v. The two teams squared off once again on a holiday Monday night, this time at the Staples Center, and once against, there was no LeBron. Although, this time the Warriors were able to take advantage of the short-handed Lakers in a 130-111 blowout win. Klay Thompson finished with 44 points and broke an NBA record by connecting on his first 10 three-point attempts on the night. The defending two-time champs tied a season-high with their eight consecutive victory, as they have also won seven consecutive games away from home.
Thompson shot 10-of-11 from beyond the arc and 17-of-20 from the floor overall, including 23 points in the third quarter alone on seven three-pointers. The Warriors led by as many as 36 points, all while getting 20 points from Kevin Durant and a double-double of 11 points and 12 assists from Steph Curry. The star point guard was just 2-for-10 from three-point range, but his fellow Splash Brother's performance helped lift the Warriors anyway. Golden State did have 41 assists on the night, which head coach Steve Kerr pointed out after the game, saying "the ball was moving and Klay was just spectacular."
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers were involved in another chippy affair, but this time it was in a victory at the Wells Fargo Center. Joel Embiid had 32 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Sixers over the Houston Rockets, 121-93. The effort was Embiid's 20th 30-10 game of the season, which powered the 76ers despite them playing without Jimmy Butler due to a sore right wrist. The four-time All-Star, Embiid, was listed as questionable for this game with lower back soreness, but he got the start, even with head coach Brett Brown hinting that he would not play.
Embiid's big night also helped the Sixers overcome James Harden's 37 points, which gives the bearded star 20 consecutive games with at least 30 points. Although, Embiid had 24 points in the first half alone, which gave Philadelphia a 15-point lead by halftime. They never trailed in the second half and led by as many as 31 on their home floor. The Rockets struggled in the third quarter, including Harden, who missed four of six tries from the floor in those 12 minutes. Houston was outscored, 29-13, in the third quarter, which cancelled out a 30-point fourth quarter for the road team in the loss. Corey Brewer, who was just signed to a 10-day contract, had the assignment of guarding Harden, and he did more than enough to shut down the Rockets' offense. Houston did debut Kenneth Faried on this night, as the former Brooklyn Net had 13 points in the loss.
Thompson shot 10-of-11 from beyond the arc and 17-of-20 from the floor overall, including 23 points in the third quarter alone on seven three-pointers. The Warriors led by as many as 36 points, all while getting 20 points from Kevin Durant and a double-double of 11 points and 12 assists from Steph Curry. The star point guard was just 2-for-10 from three-point range, but his fellow Splash Brother's performance helped lift the Warriors anyway. Golden State did have 41 assists on the night, which head coach Steve Kerr pointed out after the game, saying "the ball was moving and Klay was just spectacular."
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers were involved in another chippy affair, but this time it was in a victory at the Wells Fargo Center. Joel Embiid had 32 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Sixers over the Houston Rockets, 121-93. The effort was Embiid's 20th 30-10 game of the season, which powered the 76ers despite them playing without Jimmy Butler due to a sore right wrist. The four-time All-Star, Embiid, was listed as questionable for this game with lower back soreness, but he got the start, even with head coach Brett Brown hinting that he would not play.
Embiid's big night also helped the Sixers overcome James Harden's 37 points, which gives the bearded star 20 consecutive games with at least 30 points. Although, Embiid had 24 points in the first half alone, which gave Philadelphia a 15-point lead by halftime. They never trailed in the second half and led by as many as 31 on their home floor. The Rockets struggled in the third quarter, including Harden, who missed four of six tries from the floor in those 12 minutes. Houston was outscored, 29-13, in the third quarter, which cancelled out a 30-point fourth quarter for the road team in the loss. Corey Brewer, who was just signed to a 10-day contract, had the assignment of guarding Harden, and he did more than enough to shut down the Rockets' offense. Houston did debut Kenneth Faried on this night, as the former Brooklyn Net had 13 points in the loss.
