SAN FRANCISCO — Without the stars, the severely short-handed Lakers brought some grit on Thursday night.

But the Golden State Warriors had Klay Thompson.

On a night when his fellow Splash Brother rested, Thompson shot the lights out for 33 points against a Lakers team that was without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony – leading Golden State (51-29) to a 128-112 win at the Chase Center.

The Lakers (31-49) pushed closer to the brink of a 50-loss season, a once-unthinkable proposition that has started to feel inevitable.

Talen Horton-Tucker carried much of the load for the Lakers, scoring a career-high 40 points, many on aggressive drives. Malik Monk added 24 points as the Lakers used their 40th different starting lineup of the season.

He scored his final point at the free-throw line, blowing away his previous career best of 28 points. Teammates were egging him on.

“I wasn’t even worried about it; Malik was more worried about it than I was,” Horton-Tucker said. “I feel like him being unselfish like that, that’s why he’s my brother almost.”

But without so many pieces, the Lakers understandably lacked cohesion: They had just 14 assists on 37 baskets. Even without All-Star Steph Curry, the Warriors shared the ball much more readily with 39 assists.

Still, it was a tight game for one half. The Lakers led by five points after a quarter and trailed by just three at the intermission.

Thompson, however, started heating up in the second quarter (15 in the period) and had 31 of his points before the fourth quarter started. The 32-year-old hit 11 of his first 18 attempts, seemingly in fine form as the Warriors prepare for a first-round playoff series.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel drew the positives for both Horton-Tucker and Monk, who have often ceded ball-handling roles to their superstar teammates. Horton-Tucker has taken criticism for an inconsistent season since signing a pricey extension last summer, but Vogel said he has been hurt in part by circumstance, especially trying to play in ill-fitting lineups with Westbrook.

“The best fit for him is with the ball in his hands with shooters around him,” Vogel said of Horton-Tucker. “And we haven’t been able to create that type of role for him, but you see what he can do when he has that type of setting.”

Golden State won three of its four meetings with the Lakers this season.

Related Articles