To start their two-game road swing, the Golden State Warriors rallied late in the fourth quarter to erase the Phoenix Suns‘ double-figure advantage on the way to a fiery comeback win on Thursday night. However, on Saturday night in primetime, the Golden State Warriors couldn’t catch LeBron James and the Lakers with Steph Curry, Kristaps Porzingis and Jimmy Butler sidelined.
Through the first half, the Warriors and Lakers traded buckets in an ugly offensive slugfest. At halftime, the Warriors were able to cling to a one-point lead. Yet, in the third quarter, the Lakers made their move.
LeBron James scored 12 of his 20 points in the third quarter as the Lakers outscored the Warriors 38-29 in the third frame. While the Warriors were able to shave the Lakers’ lead down to just one point in the fourth quarter, Austin Reaves and the Lakers were able to hold off any comeback effort from the Warriors on Saturday on the way to a 105-99 victory.
Moses Moody scored a game-high 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field with five made 3-pointers to go along with four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Although Moody was able to knock down five triples, he finihsed the night shooting 5-of-14 from beyond the arc.
The Warriors struggled from deep on Saturday without Curry, shooting just 27% from 3-point land on Saturday. The Warriors fired 51 3-pointers, hitting only 14 triples against the Lakers.
After scoring in double-figures in his last six games, De’Anthony Melton struggled offensively on Saturday, scoring only five points on 2-of-10 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Brandin Podziemski (14) and Gary Payton II (13) each tallied double figures off the bench on Saturday night.
Splitting their quick road trip 1-1, the Warriors will return home for a pair of games before the All-Star break. The Warriors will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday before welcoming Victor Wembanyama and the red-hot San Antonio Spurs to twon on Wednesday before the break.
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This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Short-handed Warriors can’t catch Lakers in 105-99 loss on Saturday
