LeBron James, Steph Curry Thrill NBA Fans as CP3, Warriors Beat Anthony Davis, Lakers
Harry How/Getty Images
A battle of two of the NBA’s biggest stars Friday gave fans a sneak peak of what’s to come this season as the Golden State Warriors came away with a 129-125 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
A timeless rivalry, LeBron James and Stephen Curry laced it up once again at crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles along with their respective revamped squads which are both expected to be among the top contenders in the Western Conference.
Most of the best action came in the first half when James and Curry were both still on the court. Both stars put on some great performances despite their limited minutes.
Curry, who still played a bit in the second half, ended the night with 18 points, three rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block on 5-of-8 shooting and 2-of-4 from three-point range.
As for James, he had 12 points, two rebounds and five assists in 18 minutes of action. He did not play after halftime.
While Curry and James were the main attractions of the contest, it was still a tight game long after their departures. Each squad had a couple young guys step up big, namely Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga, who finished with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting.
Austin Reaves had 16 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Lakers.
Nonetheless, NBA fans had plenty of praise for the all-time greats on the floor.
NBA @NBA
The movement. The triple. The confidence.
Classic Curry 🔥#NBAPreseason | Live on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/AlPOHpg8uO
NBA @NBA
Steph makes it look so easy 😪#NBAPreseason | Live on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/5WHMZPAzpY
NBA @NBA
LeBron drops the no-look off to Jaxson Hayes 👀#NBAPreseason | Live on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/23cjVAtAq6
NBA @NBA
Reaves finds LeBron with a precise dish to the backdoor cut 🤝#NBAPreseason | Live on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/hOPKLwdT7I
NBA @NBA
TheWarriorsTalk @TheWarriorsTalk
Just when I think i’ve seen the most disrespectful Steph Curry lookaway 3, he does this. Super early lookaway + point at teammate (CP3) for credit on the assist…all before the shot went in 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/XynR7Iyn4I
De🅿️ressed Warriors Fan 💔 @GoIdenState
CP3 and Steph already got that connection 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/5sgQIJRkyX https://t.co/srUW92dLsA
TylerBets7 @TylerBets77
Steph curry ✅ pic.twitter.com/c7LU5gAdFR
Warriors Huddle @WarriorsHuddle
Fun Fact: There will never be a time when Steph celebrating before a 3 hits isn’t incredibly entertaining.
Never. pic.twitter.com/gstdbfQK5W
Dave McMenamin @mcten
The Lakers put up 70 in the first half vs. GSW, going 10-for-18 from 3. They’re up 70-63. LeBron and Steph lead all scorers with 12 apiece.
BronMuse @BronMuse
LeBron James at halftime:
12 PTS
2 REB
5 AST
4-8 FGLakers are up by 7 points. pic.twitter.com/iiRFt5HEP4
𝘾𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙎𝙝𝙪𝙗𝙝 ⁶𓅓 @OVOLakeShow
dawg
i’m seeing things i’ve never seen in the lebron era
if we stay healthy it’s scary hours bro
Spectrum SportsNet @SpectrumSN
Early work. 👊 pic.twitter.com/tHrRojwZWA
Hoop Central @TheHoopCentral
This LeBron stat. 😳 pic.twitter.com/1VwPK8N0e0
Lakers Lead @LakersLead
LEBRON JAMES TONIGHT
👑 18 minutes
👑 12 points
👑 5 assists
👑 2 rebounds
👑 4/8 FGKING JAMES IS READY TO GO ON A DEEP RUN IN YEAR 21 🐐 pic.twitter.com/hdKitMzsm1
With the win the Warriors improve to 2-0 for the postseason.
Hopefully this a matchup that fans will get to see plenty of during the regular season and—with any luck—the postseason. This year may be both James and Curry’s best opportunity to add another NBA title to their lengthy resumes.
This preseason preview should be more than enough to get fans excited for what’s to come over the coming months.
