Stephen Curry just scored 44 points, Golden State has won two straight, and the Lakers arrive having shown they can win with scoring spread across the roster. Friday’s meeting is a useful test of how far the Warriors have come since Los Angeles beat them 127-105 in the season opener. The Lakers are favored by 2.5 points this time, leaving much less room for either team to get by on the strength of its latest headline.
Golden State’s offense has changed the conversation
The Warriors started 0-3, then beat Denver 134-114 and Minnesota 119-114. That followed a 131-122 loss at Phoenix, giving Golden State three straight games with at least 119 points. The 105-point showing against the Lakers is still relevant, but it no longer describes everything this offense has done.
Curry drove Wednesday’s win with six three-pointers and a 16-for-16 night at the free-throw line. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg supplied 26 points. Getting that kind of help matters: Golden State needed both performances in a game it led by 24 before Minnesota threatened late.
Our projections put the Warriors at roughly 17 made threes and the Lakers at 13. That gives the perimeter scoring a clear place in this matchup, particularly after Curry’s six makes Wednesday. Golden State’s challenge is to make that advantage useful across the whole game, rather than needing another exceptional free-throw night from Curry to carry the scoring.
The Lakers bring more than the first result
Los Angeles is 4-1 after beating the Clippers 103-87 on Wednesday. Quentin Grimes scored 23 points, Collin Sexton added 21, Austin Reaves had 16 and Matisse Thybulle finished with 15. Six Lakers reached double figures while Luka Doncic sat out that game with back tightness.
That depth is a meaningful part of the Lakers’ case, but the opponent helped create the conditions for a comfortable win. The Clippers committed 24 turnovers, and Los Angeles outscored them 31-6 in the second quarter. Golden State doesn’t have to repeat those mistakes, so the Lakers still need to show how that supporting offense translates into a closer contest.
Ziaire Williams, who also missed Wednesday’s game, is questionable with a foot issue in Thursday’s update for Friday. His availability is worth following as the Lakers assess their wing group; Wednesday’s result supplies evidence of what other players contributed, without making every personnel question disappear.
The earlier meeting gives Los Angeles a concrete success against this opponent, but Golden State has since covered in three straight games. Both teams are 3-2 against the spread this season despite different win-loss records. The margin deserves its own assessment, with the Warriors’ improved scoring providing a stronger counterweight than their 2-3 record alone suggests.
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Scoring depth meets a total of 233.5
The total is 233.5. Our offensive grades are B+ for the Lakers and B for Golden State, giving both attacks a solid assessment. The Lakers’ C+ defensive grade, compared with Golden State’s B-, also puts more attention on whether Los Angeles can contain the scoring the Warriors have found recently.
Golden State’s last three games have gone over, while each team has gone over in three of five this season. Curry and Lendeborg’s production helps explain the latest example. The counterweight is how demanding it can be to repeat a 44-point performance that included 16 made free throws, alongside the Lakers’ most recent 103-point team total.
Los Angeles has the stronger record, a convincing first meeting and a recent demonstration of scoring depth. Golden State’s response is a more productive attack, with Lendeborg contributing beside Curry. Watch whether the Warriors sustain that wider scoring support and whether the Lakers’ contributors can produce without another large opponent-turnover boost. Those tests say more about this closely priced matchup than either Wednesday’s blowout or Curry’s 44 points alone.
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