The Golden State Warriors took down the Los Angeles Lakers, 130-111, at Staples Center on Monday evening.
The Warriors' (33-14) win evened the season series after the Lakers (25-23) trounced them on their home court on Christmas Day. Of course, that game saw the Lakers take a significant blow, as superstar LeBron James went down with a groin injury. James has been out of the Lakers' lineup ever since, and did not suit up for Monday's tilt. The Warriors, on the other hand, added one more All-Star to their already loaded lineup, as big man DeMarcus Cousins made his second appearance since returning from his Achilles tear.
In characteristic fashion, the Warriors blew Monday's game wide open in the third quarter, where they outscored LA 45-25. Golden State already held a 10-point halftime advantage, thanks in large part to a white-hot 21-point first-half from Klay Thompson. The Warriors did not take their foot off the gas, however, as they racked up another 65 second-half points. Thompson in particular remained on fire, knocking down his first 10 three-point attempts in a row. He exited the game with 44 points on 17-of-20 shooting.
On top of Thompson's impressive night, the Warriors saw 20 points from Kevin Durant, who shot 8-of-13 from the field. Steph Curry, meanwhile, had an off shooting night, going just 3-of-12 from the floor. He did, however, tally 12 assists.
The Lakers, meanwhile, were without LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, or Lonzo Ball, each of whom was sidelined by an injury. In their absence, the team struggled, with only two starters scoring in double digits. Kyle Kuzma tallied 16 points, while Ivica Zubac led the team with 18 off the bench.
On Thursday, the Warriors will visit the Wizards in DC, while the Lakers will host the Minnesota Timberwolves.
