Stephen Curry’s 37-point performance leads the Warriors past the Lakers in a possible playoff preview.
- Ayda Salem
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
LOS ANGELES April 5, 2025: Stephen Curry scored 37 points, and Brandin Podziemski added 28 as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 123-116 on Thursday, securing their fourth consecutive win in a potential first-round playoff matchup.
Podziemski set a career-high with eight 3-pointers, while Curry made 4 of 11 from beyond the arc, following up his 52-point performance with 12 3-pointers against Memphis on Tuesday. LeBron James led the Lakers with 33 points and nine assists, while Austin Reaves scored 31 points, including nine 3-pointers. Rui Hachimura contributed 24 points, and Luka Doncic added 19 points, although he missed all six of his 3-point attempts.
The Lakers made a late push, with Doncic cutting the deficit to 105-99, but Curry and Podziemski hit back-to-back 3-pointers to maintain the Warriors’ lead. James and Curry exchanged scoring runs in the third quarter, with the Lakers reducing a 16-point second-quarter gap to eight, but Curry’s 13 consecutive points helped give the Warriors an 88-77 lead heading into the fourth. Jonathan Kuminga added 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Golden State, which claimed its first win over the Lakers in four meetings this season. The Warriors’ last win in LA came a year ago.
Takeaways:
Warriors: They completed a six-game trip with a 4-2 record and are battling to stay in the top-six seed to avoid the play-in tournament with six games remaining.
Lakers: James surpassed 11,000 points as a Laker with a 3-pointer in the second quarter, becoming the 10th player in franchise history to do so.
Key moment: Reaves hit a 3-pointer from a timeout, bringing the Lakers to within 121-116 in the final seconds, but Doncic fouled Curry, who made both free throws to seal the win.
Key stat: The Warriors won despite Jimmy Butler scoring only 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, well below his usual average of 17.3 points.
Up next: Both teams play back-to-backs on Saturday, with the Warriors hosting Denver and the Lakers facing New Orleans.