Warriors at Lakers
Kevin Durant’s showdown against his former club is now in the rearview mirror and the Golden State Warriors look to avoid a letdown when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. Durant torched Oklahoma City for a season-best 39 points on Thursday in his first game against the Thunder since leaving as a free agent and the Warriors now turn their attention toward notching their fifth consecutive victory,
Durant badly outplayed former running mate Russell Westbrook in Golden State’s convincing 122-96 win and also matched his career high of seven 3-pointers. “I put the work in,” Durant said afterward. “I have to trust in that and just tried to shoot good shots when I got them.” Durant is becoming more comfortable with his new teammates and the Warriors are averaging 119.3 points during their four-game winning streak. Former Golden State assistant Luke Walton is trying to guide the Lakers toward respectability and they took a step Wednesday with a solid 123-116 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, CSN Bay Area (Golden State), Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (4-1): Durant is averaging 30.6 points and shooting a torrid 58.7 percent from the floor — making 60 percent or better in four of the team’s five games. He blistered the Thunder for 29 first-half points as Golden State built a 68-43 halftime edge en route to its second consecutive victory by more than 20 points. “He really wanted this bad and we wanted it for him,” point guard Stephen Curry said afterward. “Lot of history, right? So to get a win against the old team the first time you play against them is big and he definitely showed up. We tried to do our part around him and just push the envelope. It was a fun night.”
ABOUT THE LAKERS (2-3): Second-year point guard D’Angelo Russell had 23 points in the victory over the Hawks and has scored 20 or more points in three of the five games. Walton cited Russell’s eight assists and three blocks as key figures in the victory and said he was pleased with the way Russell ran the offense during the contest. “He was in control of the game and it wasn’t just from scoring,” Walton told reporters. “It was the plays he was calling. He was getting people touches. He had the defense guessing where he was going to be going.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Lakers posted an impressive 112-95 victory over Warriors on March 6 to end a four-game losing streak in the series.
2. Golden State SG Klay Thompson was 4-of-8 from 3-point range against the Thunder after being 3-for-28 during the first four games.
3. Los Angeles C Timofey Mozgov (eye) is doubtful after being injured Tuesday and sitting out Wednesday.