Last season, the Golden State Warriors didn't suffer their second loss until the 39th game of the 2015-16 campaign. After just six games this year, the Warriors have two losses under their belt.
On Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Warriors 117-97 in the Staples Center for the second year in a row. "It's our annual beat down at Staples by the Lakers," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after the game, in reference to the Lakers' 112-95 trouncing of Golden State back in March.
Similar to last season's defeat at the hands of the Lakers, the Warriors' backcourt of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were abysmal from the field, especially from beyond the arc. In their 2015-16 matchup, Curry and Thompson went a combined 1-for-18. Last night, the Splash Brothers were 2-for-20. In the process, Steph, who went 0-for-10 from three-point range, snapped an NBA-record streak of 157 games with a three-pointer. "That was a cool little ride," Curry said. "Would have loved to finish my career making one every game, but hey, start a new one. What was it, like two years? Kind of weird not to make one, but I will keep shooting."
While it would be easy to put this loss squarely on the shoulders of the Warriors, give some credit to that baby Lakers team. Their ball movement was solid for most of the game, and they were active on the defensive end, forcing Golden State to commit 20 turnovers (10 players had at least one turnover). "That's a young, hungry team," Draymond Green said in his post-game interview. "With a new staff, and they get after it."
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