Five observations from the Warriors’ 108-90 win over the Lakers

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 04: Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors dunks the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Staples Center on April 04, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
By Anthony Slater
Apr 5, 2019

LOS ANGELES — Here are five observations from the Warriors’ 108-90 win over the Lakers on Thursday night.

1. Temperature: Stable

Last April, at exactly this time — the Thursday prior to the regular season’s final week — the Warriors went into Indianapolis, got waxed by 20 and then took a public scolding from their coach.

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It wasn’t even their worst loss down the stretch. On the final night, the Jazz destroyed the Warriors by 40, dropping them to 7-10 in their last 17 games. Steph Curry was hurt, out for at least the first round. They wobbled into the playoffs, appearing very vulnerable.

Ended up, they weren’t. The Warriors steamrolled the Spurs in five games, got Curry back and won another title. Lesson learned. Don’t overreact to the state of this team in early April.

But it’s still a worthy time to take their temperature. And, right now, it’s 98.6°F. They’re fully healthy, extremely stable, sharp on the court and relaxed off of it. Kevin Durant is in a good mood, playing well. DeMarcus Cousins is gaining momentum. In a season loaded with disruptive drama, they’ve never felt like bigger favorites.

Thursday was the latest example. The Warriors got rest for three veterans (Shaun Livingston, Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala all sat), but didn’t toy around with a bad Lakers team. They overwhelmed them early with a 31-8 start, batted back any mini runs and kept a double-digit cushion from end to end, allowing the starters to sit most of the fourth.

The early-March home loss to the Suns may have been this season’s low point. But several Warriors have also referred to it as the wake-up call. Since then they are 9-3, reestablishing conference dominance with wins over the Thunder, Rockets and Nuggets, and now finishing the regular season with the mature, killer approach against lottery-bound prey.

2. That Curry pass

There’s no worse road arena for Curry than Staples Center when it’s dressed in yellow and purple. This season, in two road games against the Lakers, Curry has missed 20 of his 26 shots and 16 of his 19 3s. Two seasons back, he missed all 10 of his 3s in a game here.

Thursday night: 3-of-14 overall, 1-of-9 from 3. The shooting was ugly. But the passing was pretty. Curry had seven assists. The most spectacular of those came during that dominant start.

Check out this slick lefty behind-the-back rainbow in traffic, landing right in Durant’s arms for an in-stride dunk.

Asked postgame whether this was the best pass of his career, Curry balked.

“Honestly, I thought it was pretty easy,” Curry said. “The cool part is he caught it in stride.”

“That’s not the first time he’s thrown a lefty behind the back,” Durant said. “He’s had some better passes than that one. That was a great pass, a good look, but that’s normal for him.”

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Better passes? Which one?

“We played the Lakers in preseason the first year I got here, he did the same thing, the same type of pass and I hit Klay (Thompson) for a 3,” Durant said. “He did that two times in a row. I remember that game. But he’s got some passes he goes left hand from the other side of the court to the corner. He’s a phenomenal passer with his left hand.”

How about this one, the high bounce alley-oop to Giannis Antetokounmpo at the most recent All-Star Game?

“Tough to say the best pass of your career was in an All-Star Game,” Curry said.

Ok, well how about this one?

3. DeMarcus for 3

DeMarcus Cousins’ stat line was hefty again: 21 points and 10 rebounds. Those aren’t empty numbers. Cousins’ impact has been immense lately. His consistency is also there. That’s the team’s biggest late-season storyline.

On Thursday, he played large against JaVale McGee and a depleted, mostly disinterested Lakers interior. He’s becoming the dominant force the Warriors probably didn’t even need.

But even scarier, his outside shot seems to be sharpening up slightly. Cousins sank into a deep shooting slump his first few months back. He’s made only 27 percent of his 3s.

But Cousins hit two 3s against the Nuggets on Tuesday night and backed that up with three more 3s against the Lakers. Previous to that, he hadn’t hit multiple 3s in his previous 24 games.

4. LeBron and the eliminated Lakers

Next week, Durant will enter his ninth career postseason. The previous eight, LeBron James was anchoring an opposing team out East. Durant always knew, should he push his way through the West, LeBron would likely be waiting at the end of the tunnel.

No more. LeBron’s already eliminated. That’s a strange reality the league must cope with in the coming weeks. Is it strange for Durant, his biggest positional rival?

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“Is it strange?” Durant said. “Nah, it’s not really strange because he’s been on the East Coast for so long. You only run into him in the Finals. It’s weird playing on the West Coast.

“It don’t feel any different. But seeing how many years he’s played in the playoffs and how precious the summers are for us — when we get to relax, get away from the game, the life a little bit — this is the first time in a while. I wonder how that’s going to be for him. I’m sure he needs the rest. I know it’s going to be a little weird for him. Definitely want to ask him about it.”

The whole vibe in Lakerland is strange these days, as they play out the string in what was a disastrous premiere year for LeBron in Hollywood.

Changes are expected this offseason. Many have speculated that Luke Walton, the former Warriors assistant, is likely out as coach.

“I wish him the best for the future,” Curry said. “Who knows what will happen. But he’s a great coach. Anybody would be lucky to have him leading the team.”

“He’s holding up fine,” Steve Kerr said. “Luke is born for this job. He really is. Not only his basketball mind, which is top notch, but he’s a guy that has as good a feel for the game as anybody I’ve ever been around. His temperament is perfect for this job. Luke has done a great job in keeping his poise and keeping his team playing and just handling all of the storm that has been thrown their way.”

5. Upcoming rest strategy

With the win, the Warriors’ magic number to clinch the West’s top seed is down to two. Two Nuggets losses, two Warriors wins or one of each will officially give the Warriors home court in the West playoffs.

“We’re not quite home yet,” Kerr said.

Cousins and Iguodala will rest at home against the Cavaliers on Friday night. Cousins hasn’t played in both sides of a back-to-back yet this season, so this was always planned. He’s very likely to sit in either New Orleans or Memphis next week, when the Warriors close the season with a Tuesday, Wednesday back-to-back.

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The question now is whether Cousins will be joined by some of the other big names. It sounds like Kerr would prefer to give Curry, Durant, Thompson and Draymond Green at least one game off before the playoffs, but that decision becomes easier once the top seed is clinched.

“It’d be nice for them not to play in that back-to-back,” Kerr said. “But we gotta get there first.”

(Photo: Yong Teck Lim / Getty Images)

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Anthony Slater

Anthony Slater is a senior writer covering the Golden State Warriors for The Athletic. He's covered the NBA for a decade. Previously, he reported on the Oklahoma City Thunder for The Oklahoman. Follow Anthony on Twitter @anthonyVslater