SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Klay Thompson scored 16 of his season-high 33 points in the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry made a clutch layup with 46 seconds remaining, and the Golden State Warriors held off the Los Angeles Lakers 117-115 on Saturday night, spoiling another scoring milestone by LeBron James.
Curry finished with 24 points and eight assists, while Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points to help the Warriors end a two-game losing streak. Golden State has not lost three in a row all season.
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James had 26 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, but missed the first free throw after Curry fouled him attempting a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left. He made the second and missed the third intentionally but couldn’t chase down the rebound in time to get a shot off.
Earlier in the night, James extended his streak of 25 points or more to 22 games and passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most points scored in the NBA combining the regular season and postseason with 44,157. James tied Abdul-Jabbar’s mark of 44,149 in the first half, then surpassed it with a 3-pointer early in the third quarter.
Abdul-Jabbar still owns the career record for regular-season games with 38,387 points, considered the more prestigious of the two scoring milestones. James, with 36,526, is closing in on that one, too.
Thompson, who returned this season after missing 941 days with a pair of serious leg injuries, shot 12 of 22 and made four 3s, three in the fourth quarter. It’s Thompson’s most points since putting up 43 against the Knicks on Jan. 8, 2019.
The Warriors needed it on a night when Curry struggled from the perimeter. The NBA’s 3-point king was 1 of 8 beyond the arc but made up for it by going 9 for 9 on free throws.
Jonathan Kuminga added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Warriors.
Russell Westbrook returned after missing a game and broke out of his scoring slump with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Lakers.
The Warriors led by 15 on Thompson’s corner 3 and Otto Porter Jr.’s layup before the Lakers closed the gap and got within 65-62 at the half following Avery Bradley’s 3-pointer.
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Curry and Kuminga combined for 33 points in the first half on 12 of 19 shooting.
BLOCK OF THE GAME
Austin Reaves chased Thompson down from behind and blocked a potential layup during the Lakers’ run to open the fourth quarter. It’s the ninth block of the season for the 6-foot-5 rookie guard.
TIP-INS
Lakers: Frank Vogel was given a technical foul in the fourth quarter. Assistant coach Phil Handy received one during a timeout following a thunderous one-hand dunk by James in the first quarter.
Warriors: Curry needs four steals to tie Chris Mullin for the franchisee record for steals. Curry has 1,356. … Andre Iguodala (lower back tightness) missed his third consecutive game.
UP NEXT
Lakers: Face the Jazz in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The Lakers lost the season series last year but beat Utah 101-95 in January.
Warriors: Go on the road to play the Clippers on Monday. Golden State has won three of the last four against the Clippers including twice this season.
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