Warriors show Luke Walton how far he has to go with 149-106 win
In trying to return the Lakers to national prominence, Luke Walton has used a blueprint he learned during his two seasons as a Warriors assistant coach: a fun atmosphere, an up-tempo offense, a penchant for dipping deep into the bench.
The Warriors shot 61.6 percent from the field (19-for-36 from beyond the arc) as they pushed their winning streak to nine games.
The new-look “Splash Brothers” of Stephen Curry (31 points, nine assists), Kevin Durant (28 points) and Klay Thompson (26) combined for 85 points on 31-for-47 (65.9 percent) shooting.
Draymond Green, who didn’t return after getting poked in the eye in the third quarter, chipped in 11 assists and nine rebounds.
On Nov. 4, five games into this grand basketball experiment, the Warriors lost to the Lakers by 20 points at Staples Center.
Would porous interior defense undermine them?
Less than three weeks later, in front of a capacity Oracle Arena crowd, Golden State reinforced just how much it has coalesced since that loss in Southern California.
Crisp passes, hard cuts and screens produced a steady stream of first-half highlights.
The Warriors’ 80 first-half points would have been the most by an NBA team in a half this season had Cleveland not scored 81 in the first half of its win Wednesday over Portland.