{"id":707217,"date":"2026-04-10T07:15:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T07:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/707217\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T07:15:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T07:15:40","slug":"lakers-stay-no-4-seed-dominate-warriors-on-the-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/707217\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakers stay No. 4 seed, dominate Warriors on the road"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 No Luka Don\u010di\u0107. No Austin Reaves. No excuses.<\/p>\n

On a night that could have easily slipped into schedule loss territory, the Lakers instead delivered one of their most complete efforts of the season, a 119\u2013103 win over the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. It wasn\u2019t just a victory \u2014 it was a recalibration.<\/p>\n

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Days removed from \u201cthat night\u201d against Oklahoma City, the Lakers looked like a team that understood the stakes again.<\/p>\n

And it started, as it so often does, with LeBron James.<\/p>\n

LeBron takes control \u2014 again<\/p>\n

\"Los<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dunks the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center.<\/p>\n

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dunks the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center.<\/p>\n

There are games where James guides. And then there are games like Thursday, where he grabs the wheel and doesn\u2019t let go.<\/p>\n

James finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists in just 32 minutes, marking his 12th straight game in San Francisco with at least 20 points. Efficient, controlled, and \u2014 when the moment called for it \u2014 overwhelming.<\/p>\n

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The defining stretch came early in the fourth quarter. In a six-minute burst, James accounted for five assists and six points, methodically pushing the Lakers\u2019 lead from comfortable to decisive. It was less of a takeover and more of a quiet dismantling.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a terrific game from him,\u201d head coach JJ Redick said afterward.<\/p>\n

Before tipoff, Redick framed the night simply: a spirit game. Afterward, it felt more like a statement.<\/p>\n

A response that mattered<\/p>\n

The Lakers didn\u2019t just win \u2014 they responded.<\/p>\n

Redick\u2019s message pregame was about being \u201call-in,\u201d and the group followed through. This wasn\u2019t a team waiting for stars to bail them out. This was a team playing with structure, pace, and intent.<\/p>\n

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Even without Stephen Curry on the floor for Golden State \u2014 sidelined for rest amid a lingering knee issue \u2014 the Lakers still had to prove something to themselves. They had lost their edge against Oklahoma City. Thursday, they found it again.<\/p>\n

Ayton anchors the interior<\/p>\n

\"Los<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) dunks the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter at the Chase Center.<\/p>\n

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) dunks the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter at the Chase Center.<\/p>\n

With playmakers missing, the Lakers leaned into their size \u2014 and Deandre Ayton delivered.<\/p>\n

Ayton posted 21 points and controlled the third quarter, repeatedly punishing mismatches and capitalizing on defensive overhelp. The game plan was deliberate: feed the post, force rotations, trust the spacing.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe played fantastic,\u201d Redick said. \u201cIn the third quarter he was just dominant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Against Draymond Green and a scrambling Warriors defense, Ayton\u2019s discipline \u2014 not just his scoring \u2014 stood out.<\/p>\n

The supporting cast shows up<\/p>\n

What made this win different was the balance.<\/p>\n

All five starters scored in double figures: James, Ayton, Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia and Luke Kennard. All played at least 30 minutes. All contributed in ways that went beyond the box score.<\/p>\n

Kennard, in particular, embodied that theme.<\/p>\n

\"Los<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luke Kennard (10) dribbles the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) in the second quarter at the Chase Center.<\/p>\n

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luke Kennard (10) dribbles the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II (0) in the second quarter at the Chase Center.<\/p>\n

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Long labeled as a specialist, the 29-year-old continues to expand his role. He finished with 14 points and eight assists, orchestrating offense and making reads typically reserved for primary ball handlers.<\/p>\n

Redick didn\u2019t shy away from addressing the perception.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy, because he’s a white guy that shoots, to just think he’s just a shooter,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s just the reality of the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Thursday was a reminder: Kennard is more than a label.<\/p>\n

Defense, depth, and a historic moment<\/p>\n

The Lakers\u2019 defense fueled everything.<\/p>\n

They forced 14 steals, turning chaos into transition opportunities. Kennard had four. LaRavia added three. Even Bronny James made his mark with two.<\/p>\n

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And then came a moment that cut through the noise of a late-season game.<\/p>\n

Late in the first quarter, Bronny jumped a passing lane, pushed the break, and found his father for a dunk \u2014 the first son-to-father assist in NBA history. A small play in the context of the standings, but a snapshot of something larger.<\/p>\n

Bronny finished with 10 points and three assists in 21 minutes \u2014 productive, poised, and part of the larger picture.<\/p>\n

Cleaning up the edges<\/p>\n

The box score wasn\u2019t perfect.<\/p>\n

Both teams committed 19 turnovers. The Lakers were outshot at the line (just eight attempts to Golden State\u2019s 12). They were whistled for more than twice as many fouls.<\/p>\n

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None of it mattered.<\/p>\n

Because they controlled what mattered more: tempo, spacing, shot-making. The Lakers hit 55 percent from three (16-of-29), while the Warriors lagged at 30 percent. At one point, the lead stretched to 27.<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t luck. It was execution.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead<\/p>\n

At 51\u201329, the Lakers remain the No. 4 seed in the West. The math is simple now: their magic number to clinch it is one.<\/p>\n

Two home games remain \u2014 against the Suns and Jazz \u2014 before the postseason begins.<\/p>\n

After Oklahoma City, there were questions. About effort. About identity. About whether this group, reshuffled and short-handed, could still lock in when it mattered.<\/p>\n

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Thursday didn\u2019t answer everything. But it answered enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 No Luka Don\u010di\u0107. No Austin Reaves. No excuses. On a night that could have easily…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":707218,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3786],"tags":[1013,3968,7,1006,6675,200,1347,479,164,4025,4024,4077,423,1661,185,150,368,1171,6,475,1012,573,255],"class_list":{"0":"post-707217","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golden-state-warriors","8":"tag-austin-reaves","9":"tag-ayton","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-bronny-james","12":"tag-chase-center","13":"tag-draymond-green","14":"tag-gary-payton-ii","15":"tag-golden-state","16":"tag-golden-state-warriors","17":"tag-goldenstate","18":"tag-goldenstatewarriors","19":"tag-jake-laravia","20":"tag-jazz","21":"tag-jj-redick","22":"tag-lebron-james","23":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","24":"tag-luka-doncic","25":"tag-luke-kennard","26":"tag-nba","27":"tag-oklahoma-city","28":"tag-rui-hachimura","29":"tag-stephen-curry","30":"tag-warriors"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116379185197260736","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=707217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/707218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=707217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=707217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=707217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}