Clearly playing to win, the Warriors outscored the Los Angeles 31-15 in the fourth quarter, wiping out an 11-point deficit and taking a 100-95 preseason win over the Lakers on Tuesday at MasterCard Center in Beijing, China.
Power forward David Lee led all scorers with 31 points on 12-of-16 shooting, while center Andrew Bogut dominated the boards with a game-high 14 rebounds.
The Lakers built an 80-69 lead behind wing Nick Young (18 points) and center Chris Kaman (14 points on 7-of-7 shooting and 10 rebounds). But Los Angeles coach Mike D’Antoni sat his regulars for most of the fourth quarter and watched the Warriors climb back into it behind point guard Stephen Curry.
Curry, who shot relatively poorly through the first three quarters, recovered to pour in 14 points in the final quarter -- 11 in a 3:41 stretch he ignited and concluded with 3-point bombs. He finished with 24 points on 7-of-18 shooting, adding a team-high seven assists.
The intentions of Warriors coach Mark Jackson were evident when he turned to his starting lineup in the late going. Andre Iguodala played 39 minutes, Lee 38, Curry 37 and Klay Thompson 36. Even Bogut, with whom Jackson still should be careful, played 32.
No Lakers starter played more than forward Pau Gasol’s 27 minutes and star Kobe Bryant did not play at all, observing from the bench. Point guard Steve Nash, who turns 40 this season, played only 18 minutes as D’Antoni leaned mostly on backup Steve Blake.
Blake’s ineffectiveness was one of the keys to the Warriors staying in the game and rallying down the stretch. The Lakers committed 21 turnovers, and Blake missed 10 of his 11 shots from the field.
Of note: Bogut was credited with four assists as he continues to remind us he is one of the best-passing big men in the NBA.
Thompson, the team’s leading scorer through the first three preseason games, finished with 13 points on 5-of-17 shooting from the field.
The teams left Beijing after the game, flying to Shanghai, where they meet Friday morning for the second of their two-game set as part of the NBA’s Global Games tour. Tipoff is set for 4:30 am (PDT) and the game will be telecast by Comcast SportsNet.
