LOS ANGELES — With ABC’s national broadcast cameras rolling, celebrities lining courtside seats and LeBron James starting at forward for Los Angeles, the Warriors’ Saturday night showdown with the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena had all the extraneous trappings of what has long been the Western Conference’s premier matchup.
That was, except for one half of the reason the NBA world has been captivated by the rivalry.
Steph Curry, the leading star of three champions that beat James’ teams in the NBA Finals, missed his third consecutive game with runner’s knee. With Curry relegated to cheering, the Warriors lost 105-99 to the Lakers.
Moses Moody scored a team-high 25, while Pat Spencer poured in 14 in his second consecutive start. Gary Payton and Brandin Podziemski combined for 27 off the bench. James scored 20 points and dished out 10 assists for the Lakers, while Rui Hachimura scored 18 points and Austin Reaves had eight assists off the bench.
The home team was not at full strength, either. Luka Doncic was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Trade deadline acquisition Kristaps Porzingis, fresh off an eventful pregame press conference, watched from the bench. Porzingis is expected to debut for the Warriors after the All-Star break.
Given the missing superstars, the lack of offense was understandable. The Warriors led just 42-41 at halftime after Spencer, celebrating his new contract, sized up James and buried a midrange jumper over the league’s all-time leading scorer.
The Lakers led the undermanned Warriors 89-88 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter but a quick 11-0 Reaves-led run helped create separation.
The Warriors (28-25) will travel back to the Bay Area and host Memphis on Monday, then face San Antonio on Wednesday before hitting the All-Star break.
