LOS ANGELES — LeBron James and Anthony Davis might finally have a supporting cast to help the Los Angeles Lakers make a push to get into the playoffs.
Malik Beasley scored 25 points and was one of eight players in double figures as the new-look Lakers returned from the All-Star break to beat the Golden State Warriors 124-111 on Thursday night.
Los Angeles (28-32) is 13th in the Western Conference but has won three of four since the trade deadline. They are 1 1/2 games out of a spot in the play-in tournament.
Beasley, who was acquired from Utah as part of a three-team trade at the deadline, has two 20-point games in his four starts for the Lakers.
“LeBron and AD didn’t get going as much as they wanted tonight, but we’re deep, and I think that’s the statement we want to make,” Beasley said. “It can be any player on any given night.”
Beasley made seven 3-pointers on a night when the Lakers shot a season-bet 53.3% from beyond the arc (16 of 30) and collected a season-high 58 rebounds.
It was a quiet night for Davis and James, who both saw under 30 minutes of action.
James — who suffered a hand injury during the All-Star game Sunday night — had 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. But James was 5 of 20 from the floor, marking only the sixth time in his career he has shot 25% or worse when attempting at least 20 shots.
“We’re still figuring things out on the fly,” said Davis, who had 12 points and 12 rebounds. “The past two games we’ve really looked good as a whole. I think we’ve got a complete team where we’re able to make a run.”
Austin Reeves had 17 points off the bench, including 13 in the third quarter. The Lakers got a season-best 68 points from their reserves, including five in double figures.
“Just overall great team win. Everybody contributed, everybody had different moments and guys stayed aggressive,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “I feel great about what we’ve been able to do (since the trade deadline). It’s paying dividends right now and we’ve just got to continue to get more and more familiar with one another.”
Klay Thompson led Golden State with 22 points and Ty Jerome added 20. The defending NBA champions are 29-30 and fell to 10th place in the Western Conference.
The Warriors are 9-12 this season without All-Star Stephen Curry. They have dropped four of six since Curry suffered a left leg injury on Feb. 4 against Dallas.
“We were fouling, had some disjointed offensive possessions, some turnovers and some difficult shots that were basically shot/turnovers,” coach Steve Kerr said. “There were several key stretches where we had a chance to get back in the game but couldn’t put it together.”
Golden State got to 59-58 early in the third quarter on a jumper by Thompson before the Lakers went on a 21-7 run.
The Warriors countered by getting within eight before the Lakers broke it open again with a 26-6 spurt.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
