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 The shooting guard scored 22 of his 36 points in the first quarter
as the Warriors pounded the Lakers 109-88 at Staples Center.
Thompson scored 30 points in back-to-back games for the first time
this season. He had 30 Monday night in a 111-101 home win over the
Charlotte Hornets.
"It's always fun to come down here and play before friends and
family," said Thompson, who grew up and was a high school basketball
standout in nearby Orange County. He finished 12-for-22 from the
floor, 6-for-12 on 3-pointers.
"Obviously, this is the team I grew up watching, so it's a great
win. I was getting open shots, running the break. I had no
hesitation, just letting it fly."
Guard Stephen Curry added 17 points, six assists and three steals
for the Warriors (33-2), who have won nine of their past 10 since
the Milwaukee Bucks ended their NBA-record 24-0 start.
Curry credited Thompson's start for keying the win.
"He seems to have found his shot and found his aggressiveness, and
we know he loves coming back to the L.A. area and playing. So, it
was nice he got to play well and got some big shots, and really
opened the game up for us," said Curry, who again tweaked a sore
left shin, an injury that forced him to miss two games late last
month. "When he's doing what he's doing and Draymond (Green is)
doing what he's doing and I try to impact the game ... we're tough.
That's what happened tonight."
Green's string of consecutive triple-doubles ended at three. Green
finished with nine points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
Guard Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers (8-28) with 23 points.
A 26-7, third-quarter run by the Warriors allowed them to bury the
Lakers for the second time this season. They also beat Los Angeles
111-77 on Nov. 24 to become the first NBA team to open a season
16-0.
Thompson got the Warriors off and running Tuesday with a sizzling
first quarter, connecting on nine of 14 shots from the floor,
including four of seven 3-point attempts. Golden State led 37-25
after one quarter and increased the margin to 62-47 at the break.
"Klay Thompson just came out scorching, and there wasn't much we
could do about," said Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr., who had nine
points and seven rebounds. "We were contesting and (Lakers forward
Anthony Brown) was playing really good defense. It was just one of
those nights. It was a combination of Klay Thompson and Klay
Thompson."
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Thompson and the Warriors built their first-half advantage without
taking a foul shot, while the Lakers hit 16 of 20 attempts. The
Warriors, though, made up for it by converting 52 percent of their
shots from the floor and 55.6 percent from 3-point range. The Lakers
managed 33.3 percent on field goals and 3-pointers.
Overall, the Warriors made 46.5 percent of their shots to 31.9
percent for the Lakers. Golden State shot 13-for-30 (43.3 percent)
on 3-pointers to 5-for-21 (23.8 percent) for Los Angeles.
The Lakers made 25 of 30 foul shots, while the Warriors hit 16 of
21.
"Tonight, I didn't think it was a lack of effort," Lakers coach
Byron Scott said. "It was thinking too much about missed shots, and
we didn't get back on defense. They came out in the third quarter
wanting to put us away, and I don't think we reacted too well to
that."
Los Angeles was without forward Kobe Bryant, who missed his third
consecutive game due to a sore right shoulder, and rookie point
guard D'Angelo Russell, sidelined because of a sore throat.
For the Warriors, guard Leandro Barbosa (left shoulder sprain) and
James Michael McAdoo (sprained toe) were unavailable. Golden State
also rested center Festus Ezeli and guard Shaun Livingston.
NOTES: Lakers coach Byron Scott and F Julius Randle have moved on
from their spat following the club's win Sunday over the Phoenix
Suns, according to Scott. The coach was critical of Randle's
maturity after the second-year pro expressed dismay with being
pulled in the fourth quarter. "Julius, like I said, even what I said
the other day about he has to grow up and be a little more mature,
it's the truth," Scott said. "But he's a guy who I love, I love his
energy, I love how hard he plays and I just want him to continue to
grow in that department." ... Los Angeles visits the Sacramento
Kings on Thursday, while Golden State plays the Trail Blazers at
Portland on Friday.
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