LOS ANGELES — The Lakers closed out the Warriors on Saturday night, securing a 105-99 win in a matchup that would live up to its billing despite the absence of Luka Dončić and Steph Curry.
Today’s NBA slate was packed with exciting matchups but the moment you see Lakers versus Warriors on the schedule, it is bound to create some extra buzz around the league and amongst fans on social media. Both of these teams are fighting for playoff position and looking to stay out of the play-in tournament. Every win counts. No matter who is on the lineup that evening.
During the pre-game show on Spectrum SportsNet, the crew asked Lakers Reporter Mike Trudell if he had any updates on Luka’s status. Instantly, Trudell said yes and the broadcast cut to the interview that JJ had with the media earlier. In that interview, JJ mentioned that Luka would not play tonight and that he would be considered day to day after being diagnosed with a mild hamstring strain following his second quarter exit during Thursday’s game.
The Lakers need this win to continue the momentum from Thursday night’s comeback win against the 76ers. Additionally, taking advantage of a Warriors team without Steph Curry is a priority. Luckily, the Lakers were equipped with LeBron James and Austin Reaves tonight. Luke Kennard was also activated and available for tonight’s game. They would find themselves in a very winnable situation.
The first quarter got off to a shaky start for LA once again. Rui kicked things off with a three pointer followed by Marcus Smart to go up early. Things remained close for the first few minutes of the quarter and a few Laker fouls early gave the Warriors the lead. Austin Reaves would make his way to check into the game with 7:04 during Moses Moody’s free throw he picked up after getting fouled by LeBron James off a three point play. Austin would be on a restrictions minute again tonight and possibly up until the All-Star Break.
We would finally get a sighting of Luke Kennard in a Laker uniform towards the end of the first quarter. After being traded from the Atlanta Hawk for Gabe Vincent, Kennard’s role as a threat from the three point area was put to the test. With 2:23 to go in the first, Kennard hits his first three pointer to bring the Lakers within two points, 17-15.
The first quarter would end with the Warriors taking a 1 point lead, 21-20. It felt like this one was going to be a tight race after the first twelve minutes.
Poor shooting on both sides kept this one a low scoring affair in the first half. Significant contributions from Rui Hachimura were helpful in keeping the Lakers ahead in the second quarter and just as time was about to expire, Warriors’ Pat Spencer hits a shot at the buzzer to give Golden State the lead at halftime, 42-41.
The second half got underway with a 7-0 Lakers run, bringing their lead up to ten, 65-55. The Lakers’ limiting of turnovers was the biggest adjustment that was noticeable from the start of the third quarter, briefly pushing their lead to twelve points at one point. After a defense dominating first half, it was great to see these teams pick up the pace on the offensive end in the second half.
The momentum quickly began to shift in favor of the Warriors. They brought the game to within 5 points with 1:12 to go in the third quarter, making JJ Redick call a timeout to slow things down. When the Lakeshow made their way back on the court from the timeout, they would lock in defensively and give themselves a strong boost as Rui Hachimura hit a shot from three point range to give the Lakers a 79-71 lead to end the third quarter.
The final twelve would see both of these teams battling for any advantage they can get off of one another. Rui Hachimura continued to help the Lakers stay ahead by hitting some very important three pointers within the first few minutes of the quarter.
With 8:17 to go, Draymond Green unexpectedly landed a three pointer from the corner to get the Warriors within three and forcing Redick to call another timeout yet again. They kept having trouble getting a stop on the Warriors’ offense and allowed Golden State to get the game within 1. At exactly the 6 minute mark however, Luke Kennard checked in and hit a three pointer from the corner to keep the Lakers on top, 92-88.
Another 7-0 Laker run would help them bring the lead to 96-88 with 4:44 to go in the game. The Lakeshow would eventually run away with a ten point lead and at the 2:39 mark, Draymond Green would show his frustration by fouling Austin Reaves and knocking him over to the ground.
The foul looked hard enough to warrant a few words from Maxi Kleber as he made his way over to Draymond afterwards.
The quarter continued after some free throws and eventually concluded with a Laker win by a score of 105-99. Despite Luka being out tonight, the rest of the team took charge and really showed up in the second half to secure the win.
Role players like Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Jarred Vanderbilt and Luke Kennard helped get this team over the hump and pull off a much needed win during this homestand. LeBron James and Austin Reaves would lead the charge and will continue to do so on Monday as they host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder will be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who suffered an abdominal strain and will be out for a minimum of five games. The Lakers will be looking at another winnable opportunity at home on Monday as they look to gain some motion in the standings after moving up to fifth place in the West following tonight’s win against the Warriors.
Notable Stats of the Night:
LeBron James: 20 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists
Rui Hachimura: 18 points
Austin Reaves: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists
Marcus Smart: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists
Jarred Vanderbilt: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists
Luke Kennard: 10 points
Moses Moody: 25 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Upcoming Game for the Lakers:
Los Angeles Lakers (32-19) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (40-13)
Date: Feb. 9, 2026
Location: Crypto.com Arena
Tip-Off: 7:00 PM PST/ 10 PM EST
City Champs Media 