The Golden State Warriors fell to third place in the Western Conference Saturday after a surprise 124-116 loss to the reeling Los Angeles Lakers.
It was the fourth consecutive loss for the Warriors and the Lakers’ first win since before the All-Star tournament. Golden State led to 12 in the second half, but couldn’t keep up with LeBron James’ stellar play for long, as the 37-year-old, four-time MVP down 56 points for Los Angeles.
“We can’t give in to this losing mentality,” Warriors star Stephen Curry told reporters after the loss, via ESPN. “We’re not that team, and I’m not going to let us be that team. … We can’t give in to this losing mentality just finding different ways to lose basketball games.”
Curry completed his role with 30 points, but Golden State struggled in several areas, including the free throw, where the team made just nine of 19 attempts. The other half of the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson, did not help to score many points with only 7 points from 13 goals.
The Warriors have won just two of their last 10 games, slipping to a 43-21 record and half a match behind second-place Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers have improved to 28-35 and are clinging to ninth in the Western Conference.
