LeBron James emphasized balance and defensive execution after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 105-99 on Saturday night at crypto.com Arena. The win pushed Los Angeles to its third straight victory despite missing Luka Doncic and Deandre Ayton.
James finished with 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, while also directing a fourth-quarter push that kept the home team in control. The veteran forward said the challenge remained significant despite Golden State missing key players.
“Kind of like the other night, just balanced, you know, despite no Steph, no Jimmy, they’re still the Warriors,” James said. “They’re still the same same same uniform, same colors, same head coach, same guys.”
James explained that familiarity with the opponent demands constant focus. “You know, I look over to still see Steph, you know, so you know, they’re going to be super well coached and they’re going to play together,” he said.
The Lakers built separation by tightening up late after Golden State briefly threatened early in the fourth quarter. “They’re going to move. They’re going to test your defense all night. Put you in uncomfortable situations,” James said. “So, we just have to rack up some stops and we did that in the fourth quarter and was able to bump that lead up.”
Los Angeles held the visitors to 14-of-51 shooting from three-point range, a key factor in closing out the game. Moses Moody led Golden State with 25 points, while Stephen Curry missed his third straight contest with a knee injury.
James also spoke at length about Luke Kennard, who scored 10 points in his Lakers debut after being acquired from Atlanta earlier in the week. Kennard hit a key corner three and delivered a timely assist to Jarred Vanderbilt during an 11-0 run.
“Well, first of all, I haven’t even got to the point where I even confronted him about breaking my score record in Ohio when he passed me,” James said. “But he did play for my AU team, so we’re kind of even.”
Beyond the shooting, James highlighted Kennard’s feel for the game. “A lot of people kind of harp on his shooting, obviously, cuz he shoots the ball so elite,” he said. “But his playmaking ability as well, him being able to crack the defense when they run him off the line.”
James referenced one sequence that stood out. “After he had just hit a three across from our bench, he had another one, you know, by our bench and pass it up cuz he saw Vando underneath the hole underneath the rim and Vando got the dunk,” he said.
When asked what he values most in teammates, James pointed to decision-making. “I admire people’s basketball IQ,” he said. “I can spot it from a mile away.”
James also acknowledged his own areas for improvement after committing seven turnovers. “Yeah, I just got to be a little bit better,” he said. “I don’t like having turnovers for sure, but I got to be better.”
The Lakers will host Oklahoma City on Monday as they look to continue climbing the Western Conference standings.
