What we learned as Klay erupts win thrilling win over Lakers

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SAN FRANCISCO -- Steve Kerr said before Saturday's marquee matchup between the Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers that there's "always a little electricity" when these two squads full of superstars play each other. That was clear well before tipoff. 

There were times early when it felt like the Warriors would blow out the Lakers. They even led by 15 at one point. With this much star-power on the court, an easy win wasn't had at Chase Center. This was the first time the Warriors hosted the Lakers this season, and the first time these two teams squared off since the season-opener. 

The final result? An absolute battle that ended in a 117-115 win for the Warriors.

Klay Thompson said after Thursday night's loss that he still gets up a little more when he plays the Lakers. You think? 

Thompson played hero in front of the home fans and scored a season-high 33 points, and 16 in the fourth quarter. It was his first 30-point performance since Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals when he tore his ACL. As far as the regular season goes, it was the first time he dropped at least 30 since March 8, 2019.

Steph Curry wasn't too bad either, scoring 24 points. He was just 1-for-8 from deep but extended his streak of making at least one 3-pointer to 177 straight regular-season games.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors improving to 42-15 after a game that lived up to the preseason hype.

Kuminga meets King James

One player is in his 19th season in the NBA. The other is ... 19 years old. Saturday night in San Francisco was a battle of past -- and present -- meeting the future. It wasn't a passing of the torch, but a hell of a game to watch between Jonathan Kuminga and LeBron James. 

From the opening tip, Kuminga came to play. The Warriors rookie started at power forward and didn't shy away from guarding LeBron and taking on every challenge that Steve Kerr handed his way. That worked in the Warriors' favor, too. 

Kuminga ended with 18 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes. He was a minus-3 in plus-minus.
James just missed a triple-double with 26 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in 38 minutes. He was a minus-11 and missed two free throws in the final 2.3 seconds.

LeBron made his NBA debut on Oct. 29, 2003. Kuminga was born on Oct. 6, 2002, making this game that much more impressive for both players.

Better Rebounding But ... 

In recent games, the talk of the Warriors has been their rebounding woes and lack of size. The size difference was clear at times, especially in the third quarter when Gary Payton II was waiting to guard James on the other side of the floor. 

There's no doubt that rebounding was a point of emphasis before Saturday's game, though. Golden State finally won a rebounding battle, 51-48, and their 10 offensive rebounds stood out -- especially after combining for only eight the previous two games combined. Kevon Looney led with 12 rebounds and Kuminga was second with nine. The Warriors had six players grab at least five rebounds. 

The defense also allowed the Lakers to shoot 46.6 percent from the field and 40.7 percent on 3-pointers. They allowed 56 points in the paint and were outscored 36-33 in the second quarter after opening the frame on a 9-0 run.

Yes, this was a step in the right direction after losing two straight. Yes, there still is work to be done.

End of Four-Game Week 

With Saturday night's win, the Warriors went 2-2 during their four-game week. There was energy in the building and they fed off it early. They also looked like a team beat up by injuries and ready for the All-Star break before holding on in the end.

Soon they'll get that break, and they remain hopeful they soon will be more at full strength for the final stretch of the season. Draymond Green should be back within a week or two after the break, Andre Iguodala could be back for Wednesday night's game against the Denver Nuggets and James Wiseman continues to do 3-on-3 contact scrimmages. 

The Warriors have two more games to go before the break and two more games with the Lakers left in the regular season. Following Monday's game in LA against the Clippers and Wednesday's contest with the Nuggets, the Warriors won't play until Thursday, Feb. 24. 

Aside from Curry and Andrew Wiggins playing in the All-Star Game, Golden State will soak up all the rest they can get.

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