The Golden State Warriors roared back from a 25-point first-half deficit to beat the Lakers 112-95 on Friday in NBA Cup action.
Stephen Curry had a team-high 31 points with eight threes. Brandin Podziemski added 21 points.
Luka Doncic led all scorers with 37 points, with 21 of them coming in the first quarter.
The Warriors (3-3) could benefit from winning by so much because point differential can be used as tiebreaker to get to the NBA Cup quarterfinals. With the other three Group C teams (Spurs, Trail Blazers, Kings) having not played yet, the Dubs are first in their division.
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s game.
Curry and Podz Key Second-Half Comeback
Curry stole the show, getting Doncic to fall before hitting a three, and then a few minutes later going to the move he used on Matthew Dellavedova in the 2015 Finals to can another three on Doncic.
Curry thoroughly outplayed Doncic over the last three quarters, which of course was a big key.
Podz’s impact was also huge in the second half. During the stretch when the Warriors turned a nine-point deficit into a 17-point lead, Podz drew three Lakers offensive fouls and scored 10 points.
When Steve Kerr said Podz (who had just missed the season-opening blowout loss to the Lakers) would help protect the basket, I’ll admit I didn’t really buy it. But in this game, Podz taking a charge and generally being in perfect help-side position had an impact.
Dunleavy’s Fringe Roster Decisions Made Huge Difference
The Warriors’ bench outscored the Lakers’ bench 50-7 in this game. So let’s give some credit where it’s due for general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.
It certainly wasn’t an obvious decision to sign Georges Niang. He was coming off missing a full season with a foot injury, and his defense leaves something to be desired.
But his offense was crucial in this game.
He went 4-of-5 from the field with three threes and finished a plus-21 in 19 minutes.
Some Warriors fans were frustarted that Dunleavy gave De’Anthony Melton the taxpayer mid-level exception ($6.1 million 2026-27 salary) this offseason. They thought Dunleavy could have gotten a better player with that contract.
Melton played like someone worth much more Friday, scoring 16 points, getting two steals—one a clean pick of Doncic late in the game—and finishing a plus-nine in 21 minutes.
It wasn’t an obvious choice to give Charles Bassey a partially guaranteed contract to be a depth center, but it looked great Friday. He had six points, four rebounds and one block in nine minutes, finishing a plus-14.
Though Will Richard wasn’t a free agent this offseason, Dunleavy deserves credit for drafting him in the second round in 2025. He had just three points but was a plus-20 due in large part to excellent on-ball defense.
If the Warriors can turn Kristaps Porzingis’ salary slot into one more impactful player via trade, they might have something cooking here.
Dubs Show They Can Pick Up Lendeborg When He’s Having a Bad Game
Yaxel Lendeborg had yet to have a bad regular-season game as a pro, but that changed Friday.
The numbers tell the story: six points, one rebound, no assists, five turnovers, six fouls, minus-20.
Some will say that he psyched himself out because he wanted to stick it to Doncic after telling him he had no respect for him. Or maybe he was simply due for a clunker after having one of the best three-game stretches a rookie has had so early in a season.
That his worst performance came in a win is a good sign for the Warriors.
Lendeborg had been the Warriors’ best player from an on/off rating perspective in the first five games. I wouldn’t have guessed that they could beat a quality team with him having a clunker.
Lendeborg has 12 turnovers in the last two games. He has to cut those down.
Some bumps in the road were to be expected for the rookie. He’ll look to bounce back on Sunday against the Clippers.
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