OAKLAND – The Warriors are back in the playoffs for the third consecutive season, and they got there on a night when they rarely looked like a legitimate contender.
Not until the final seconds were they able to put away the woeful Lakers on Monday night, posting a 108-105 win before a sellout crowd (19,596) at Oracle Arena.
The game was in doubt until Stephen Curry, with chants of "MVP, MVP, MVP" echoing throughout the arena, sank a pair of free throws with 3.4 seconds to play. He also sank a pair with 4.8 seconds left.
The Warriors became the first Western Conference team to clinch a playoff berth when Oklahoma City lost at Dallas during the first half of their game against Los Angeles.
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For most of this night, the Warriors (53-13) played like a team already thinking about the playoffs – or about the Eastern Conference leaders, the Hawks, who visit Oracle on Wednesday night.
The Lakers – missing the likes of Kobe Bryant, Nick Young and, of course Steve Nash – have been the worst team in the West this season, yet they stayed within range the entire game.
Klay Thompson scored a game-high 26 points. Three other Warriors scored in double figures, with Curry posting 19 points, Draymond Green 16 and Harrison Barnes 11.
The Lakers (17-49) outrebounded the Warriors 45-37 and shot 50 percent (8-of-16) from behind the 3-point stripe, while Warriors shot 25.9 percent (7-of-27) from deep.
The Warriors went 40 games over .500 for the first time in franchise history and ran their home record to an NBA-best 30-2.
STANDOUT PERFORMER:
Though it was Curry who finally put this one away, Thompson wins the honor for being both tough and productive.
He led all scorers with a 10-of-22 shooting performance. With Curry struggling most of the night, missing six of his first seven shots and finishing 5-of-14, Thompson easily was the team's most reliable source of offense.
TURNING POINT:
The Lakers took this one down to the wire, before Curry held them off with 4-of-4 shooting from the free throw line inside the final five seconds.
INJURY UPDATES:
Thompson limped off the floor in the third quarter, briefly returned before heading into the locker room to get his right ankle re-taped. He returned with 8:40 left in the game.
C Ognjen Kuzmic (right shoulder bone contusion) was listed as out.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Warriors on Wednesday face the Atlanta Hawks, who lead the Eastern Conference, at Oracle Arena.
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