Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers offense couldn’t find their rhythm for much of Thursday night, allowing the Golden State Warriors to pull out a 123-116 victory at Crypto.com Arena. The loss pushed the Lakers back down to the No. 4 seed in the standings.
The Lakers star struggled and wrapped up the night with 19 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and a block in 38 minutes. He shot 6-of-17 from the field and went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Doncic’s streak of 114 consecutive games with a made three-pointer ended against the Warriors, marking the first time in two years he failed to hit from beyond the arc. The streak was the fifth-longest in NBA history.
Luka Doncic didn’t make a three tonight— first time in two years. pic.twitter.com/wQqa0KUWyb
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 4, 2025
The Warriors overpowering the Lakers
The Lakers connected on 45.3% of their shots, though the bulk of that production came late in the game. Golden State capitalized from beyond the arc, drilling 19 of 42 three-pointers to keep control. Of the Lakers’ Big Three, only LeBron James made a consistent impact, racking up 33 points, five rebounds, and nine assists.
Austin Reaves poured in 31 points, knocking down nine three-pointers during a frantic fourth-quarter push.
Los Angeles kicked off the second half with back-to-back threes from Rui Hachimura and LeBron James, but the Warriors answered quickly, keeping their advantage in double digits. Stephen Curry and LeBron traded baskets on consecutive possessions as the Lakers briefly cut the deficit to nine. Still, Los Angeles struggled to build on that momentum and failed to close the gap any further.
A controversial foul call on Luka Doncic during a Curry three-point attempt was quickly evened out when Doncic drew a foul himself and knocked down all three free throws. While Luka tried to settle in at the line, Curry kept firing from deep, staying in rhythm and keeping Golden State’s lead at 10.
Luka found his groove late in the third, putting up nine points in the quarter. But Steph countered with 16 of his own, including three clutch free throws with just 0.5 seconds left, pushing the Warriors’ lead to 88-77 heading into the final frame.
The Lakers and Warriors neck and neck in a tightly contested Western Conference
The victory brought Golden State closer to clinching an automatic playoff spot, placing them fifth in the standings with a 45-31 record. The Lakers stayed in fourth at 46-30, trailing third-placed Denver (47-30).
The Warriors and Lakers are caught in a heated six-team race for the last four automatic playoff spots in the Western Conference. At the same time, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies, two other contenders for a top-six finish, earned crucial wins.
Despite the win, the Warriors haven’t escaped the play-in race. They lead the Grizzlies and Timberwolves by just half a game, and the Clippers are only one game behind. They’ll head back to the Chase Center tomorrow night to face the Nuggets, looking to notch another victory against a playoff-bound team.
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