Austin Reaves drove for a go-ahead layup with one second left to cap a triple-double, LeBron James added to his Christmas Day lore with 31 points and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame an injury to Anthony Davis to outlast the Golden State Warriors 115-113 on Wednesday night in San Francisco.
Despite losing Davis for good to a twisted left ankle in the eighth minute of the game, the Lakers held the upper hand for almost the entire final three quarters, leading to a fourth win in their last five games.
The lead was 109-100 when James assisted Max Christie’s basket with 1:30 remaining before Stephen Curry nearly single-handedly stole the show.
After Jonathan Kuminga’s dunk and Dennis Schroder’s 3-pointer got the Warriors closer, Curry buried a pair of improbable 3-pointers in the final 12.2 seconds, including a game-tying 31-footer with 7.1 seconds left.
The Lakers then tried to inbound to James, but opted for Reaves when the Warriors double-teamed the Los Angeles star. Reaves didn’t hesitate, taking the ball straight to the hoop for a contested layup that produced the game-winning points.
The all-time leading scorer in NBA Christmas games, James hit 12 of his 22 shots while also finding time for a game-high-tying 10 assists and two steals.
Reaves took up the slack for the missing Davis, drilling four 3-pointers en route to 26 points that complemented a team-high 10 rebounds and 10 assists. The triple-double was the third of his career, his first this season.
Rui Hachimura chipped in with 18 points, Max Christie 16 and Dalton Knecht 13 for the Lakers, who were appearing on the NBA’s Christmas menu for the 26th consecutive season.
Curry won his scoring duel with James, going for a game-high 38 points, a majority of which came on eight 3-pointers, tying the NBA record for a Christmas game.
Andrew Wiggins backed Curry with 21 points for the Warriors, who lost for the fifth time in their last six games. He completed a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds.
Kuminga finished with 14 points, while Schroder and Trayce Jackson-Davis added 11 apiece for Golden State. Draymond Green had 10 rebounds to go with six assists, four blocks and three points.
–Field Level Media
