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With no chance of catching Oklahoma City or San Antonio for the Western Conference's second seed, holding off its Staples Center co-tenants and getting Bryant ready for the playoffs is paramount. Bryant did some shooting and running drills about three hours before tipoff, saying he's "full-weight bearing. I'm good."
The Lakers landed in just the right place for a turnaround game.
Golden State scored the final seven points against the Lakers' third-string to make the final score seem close.
Klay Thompson scored 17 points and Dorell Wright had 12 points and seven rebounds for a Warriors team wrapping up the end of another sorry season. Despite rookie coach Mark Jackson's playoff promise, Golden State has lost 18 of its past 22 games.
The Warriors played without starters David Lee (strained groin) and Andris Biedrins (mild concussion) and backup point guard Nate Robinson (right hamstring). Andrew Bogut (fractured left ankle) and Stephen Curry (sprained right ankle) have long been out for the season.
That forced Jackson -- who started all three of the team's draft picks this season along with reserve center Mickell Gladness, who was originally signed to a 10-day contract in late March -- to refute questions again about the franchise intentionally losing to protect its first-round draft pick.
Utah holds the pick this year as part of a previous trade, and the only way the Warriors keep it is if they finish in the bottom seven of the league after the draft lottery. Golden State entered the night in eighth.
"I'm a man with tremendous faith. I don't look at where I'm at I look at where I'm going and where I'm going to be," Jackson said. "As long as you don't get caught up in where you are then it's very easy to stay excited about the promise (of the future). I know where I'm headed."
NOTES: Curry said he likely won't test his ankle fully for at least another month. ... Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis sat courtside wearing white pants and a white long-sleeve shirt with the team's logo.
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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