The Warriors improved to an astounding 16-0, owning the NBA’s best record ever to start an National Basketball Association season, while the lowly Lakers dipped to 2-12.
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The Western Conference’s runaway leaders went 15-0 with a 118-105 defeat of the Denver Nuggets on Sunday – matching the achievement of both the 1949 Washington Capitols and 1994 Houston Rockets – and never looked like losing their winning record against the Lakers.
NBA MVP Stephen Curry led his team in scoring with 24 points and nine assists.
The fact that they’re doing it without head coach Steve Kerr on the sidelines is a further testament to this team’s all-time greatness, not only by every tangible statistic available, but also in the context of how they stack up with the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls and whether or not they’ll be able to surpass their all-time best regular season record of 72-10.
What the Warriors are can’t be duplicated unless you’re lucky enough to find a multi-dimensional talent like Draymond Green, a versatile veteran like Andre Iguodala that you can plug into any hole and, of course, the maestro Curry to run it all so, so well.
The next team with a chance to beat Golden State will be the Suns on Friday in Phoenix. Many will argue that making history is equally as important and satisfying as getting a ring, but on the other hand, these players and the organisation will be remembered for the number of titles they won and whether or not they created a dynasty.
Brazilian reserve Marcelo Huertas scored seven points in 12 minutes of play, going 3-of-5 from the field and 1-of-2 from 3-point range, snagging one rebound and recording two assists.
Not everything has been flawless for Warriors interim coach Luke Walton this month.
“We are genuinely addicted to the feeling of winning”, said Curry.
Per Baxter Holmes of ESPN, Bryant tied the worst shooting performance in his career when he attempted at least five shots. “Hopefully it sends a message throughout the league that we’re here to stay”.
If there’s anything positive to take from the Warriors running over the Lakers to move to 16-0, D’Angelo Russell again showed the aggressiveness that the team needs from the rookie early on.
“It’s just another loss for us, another win for them”, Scott said. “It affected the way I played and the way I shot, blown coverages defensively and coming down offensively and not having a concept of what we’re trying to do”.
“Is it likely? No”, Walton said.
The Los Angeles Lakers were involved in a historically significant game Tuesday night, although not because of anything to do with them.
The Warriors built a game-high 41-point lead in the fourth quarter. It’s special. There’s a lot of great players in this league and a lot of great teams – nobody’s accomplished what this team has. Dirk Nowitzki finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Zaza Pachulia also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
“We know how hard it was to win 67”, Curry told the San Jose Mercury news.
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And, given how things are going for the Warriors so far, betting against them seems like a foolish proposition.
