NBA Warriors vs. Lakers Picks & Predictions for January 5

Klay Thompson scored 22 of his 36 points in the first quarter and Curry added 17 before sitting out the fourth to rest his ailing leg in Golden State’s 109-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night. After Stephen Curry suffered a shin injury last week, Thompson averaged 32.5 points in the four games since then.

Kobe Bryant sat out his third consecutive game because of a sore right shoulder, and rookie guard D’Angelo Russell was sent home because of a sore throat.

But after playing a significant part in Golden State’s first championship win in 40 years and subsequently helping the team achieve a 33-2 regular season record, there really isn’t a reason to blame Thompson for finding the confidence he lacked in the beginning of the season as he did his best to work through a lingering back injury. Curry is certainly an essential part of the Warriors team but they are 33-2 and three and a half games clear of the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference right now so resting the injury might be in his, and the teams, best interest.

“He’s playing at a very, very high level, ” Curry said. “Long-term, it’s not something I have to worry about”. I’ve just had a couple of unlucky plays.

After the game, Curry admitted to ESPN that for the leg to fully heal, he would have to sit out four weeks, but that is not in the reigning league MVP’s plans. Interim head coach Luke Walton called a timeout, a break just long enough for Curry to get checked by the training staff and persuade his coach to leave him in the game.

“I was joking with PG, just telling him how it was old times”, Bosh said.

Walton made it clear that he was told that there was no reason Curry couldn’t continue to play.

Have Fun: The Lakers look like they are having a lot of fun over the course of their three-game winning streak.

The Lakers hung around the 12-point deficit range through much of the first half, but a huge 22-0 run in the third quarter from the Warriors turned a sorta-competitive-by-the-differential game into a complete blowout.

Curry had 24 points and nine assists to lead the Warriors, while Julius Randle had 10 points and six rebounds in the loss.

Guard Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers (8-28) with 23 points.

Overall, the Warriors made 46.5 percent of their shots to 31.9 percent for the Lakers.

His triple-double on Monday night was the eight of the season for Green, tying him with Wilt Chamberlain for most in Warriors’ history.

Green had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 16 assists in a 114-110 road win against the Rockets in which the Warriors played without Curry.

To get scores, go to National Basketball Association. He could also miss Wednesday’s game in Phoenix….

After struggling most of the season, Speights has found his stride of late. The third quarter, we started missing shots and we were missing and forgetting that we had to get back and guard these guys.