Curry, Podziemski go off, power Warriors to thrilling win over LeBron-Doncic Lakers

LOS ANGELES Floyd Mayweather Trinity Rodman Young Thug and beloved hometown hooper Pau Gasol were among the celebrities dotting the Crypto com Arena crowd on Thursday night They came to see dazzling performances by visiting Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler against purple-and-gold superstars LeBron James and Luka Doncic in the first matchup between the bitter rivals with retooled lineups and ambitions of securing homecourt advantage in the first round of the upcoming Western Conference playoffs And as expected the big names had big nights in Golden State s thrilling - preeminence in Southern California Curry scored James put in after a scoreless first quarter Doncic totaled points and seven assists Jonathan Kuminga had points after missing Tuesday s challenge with a bruised pelvis Butler scored and Austin Reaves scored and almost single-handedly brought the Lakers back in the fourth quarter James and Curry traded baskets late in fourth and -point scorer Brandin Podziemski made a big three-pointer only to be answered by Austin Reaves to keep the lead at seven Reaves made another three after two Butler free throws to cut the Warriors advantage to - but Defensive Competitor of the Year candidate Draymond Green had the stop of the night when he came up with a steal on the ensuing Lakers possession The Warriors - are the fifth seed now a half-game in front of sixth-seeded Memphis - and the No seed Minnesota - in the West standings The Lakers - remained the No seed The Warriors led - at halftime and - after three quarters Golden State finished its six-game road trip - both losses coming with Curry out of the lineup with a bruised pelvis The Warriors will play host to No seed Denver on Friday night