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Golden State Warriors top Los Angeles Lakers for 10th straight win

By Forrest Lee, The Sports Xchange
Golden State Warriors F Klay Thompson. (Golden State Warriors/Instagram)
Golden State Warriors F Klay Thompson. (Golden State Warriors/Instagram)

LOS ANGELES -- Despite a 24-point rout of the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr wasn't impressed.

"It was one of the worst basketball games I've seen in my life," Kerr said. "We were awful, and they were awful. The people who bought tickets should get their money back, honestly. I'm not trying to make a joke; it was a horrible basketball game."

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Kevin Durant had 29 points, nine assists and six rebounds, and the Warriors won their 10th straight with a 109-85 victory over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center.

Durant was surprised to hear Kerr's assessment, but agreed the Warriors weren't at their best.

"It's not like we're going out there with no sense of urgency or we're not locked in, we have games like that, where it's kind of sloppy, but I think toward the end of the game, we executed," said Durant, who connected on 11 of 19 shots from the floor and 3 of 6 from 3-point range. "Defensively, we were good all night."

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Stephen Curry scored 24 points and dished out five assists for the Warriors (14-2), who own the best record in the NBA. Klay Thompson contributed 18 points and seven rebounds, while Draymond Green added 12 points and eight rebounds for Golden State, which beat the Lakers for the second time in three days.

Eight of the Warriors' victories during the streak have been in double figures.

Jordan Clarkson had 20 points to lead the Lakers (8-9). Lou Williams added 13 points, while Larry Nance Jr. chipped in 11 points and seven boards.

"They are the best team in the league, and I think the Spurs and us have beat them, so I think we just have to wash that one out," said Clarkson, who earned his first start of the season. "I don't think we see them for a little while, so get that game out of our head and get our swag back."

Injuries robbed the Lakers of three of their starters. Point guard D'Angelo Russell missed his third game with a sore left knee, while forward Julius Randle sat out his second with a hip pointer. Shooting guard Nick Young (sore left toe) also was unavailable.

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The Warriors lost Green and reserve guard Ian Clark after the two collided in the third quarter. Green suffered a left ankle contusion when he landed on Clark, who fell under the basket. Clark apparently sustained an injury to his throat and banged his head on the floor. Neither returned to the game.

"I'll see how I feel (Saturday) night, but I plan on playing," said Green, referring to the Warriors hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves. "If I just can't go and it's hurting that bad then I'll sit out. As of right now, I plan on (playing)."

Kerr said Clark will be re-evaluated on Saturday.

The Warriors used a third-quarter burst to take command. A 19-7 spurt to open the quarter boosted Golden State to a 72-50 advantage after a reverse layup by Green midway through the quarter. They led 80-64 heading into the final period.

The Warriors' lead never dipped below double digits.

The Warriors had 31 assists to 20 for the Lakers. It marked the 10th consecutive game the Warriors recorded at least 30 assists. They had a franchise-record 47 in Wednesday's 43-point blowout of the Lakers.

With Durant scoring 16 points, the Warriors led 53-43 at the break. They outshot the Lakers 47.7 percent to 35.6 percent. Golden State also converted 7 of 14 (50 percent) from long distance compared to 3 of 10 (30 percent) for Los Angeles.

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For the game, the Warriors shot 51.8 percent to 35.6 percent for the Lakers. Golden State made 11 of 28 (39.3 percent) behind the 3-point arc to 5 of 22 (22.7 percent) for Los Angeles.

"They're good. Let's be honest. They play good basketball," said Lakers guard Jose Calderon, who finished with seven points.

NOTES: The Lakers need to develop consistency on defense if they expect to continue improving, coach Luke Walton said. "Sometimes our defense looks great and at other times we've really struggled," said Walton, whose team was 27th in points allowed at 112.1 per game and last in defending opponents' field-goal shooting at 48.5 percent. ... Walton said G Nick Young and F Julius Randle could return for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center. ... Seven times this season, the Warriors have had three players score 20 or more points. It occurred Wednesday against the Lakers when PG Stephen Curry (31 points), F Kevin Durant (28) and SG Klay Thompson (26) topped the mark. Golden State is 7-0 in those games.

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