Lakers vs Warriors - Game 6 - 2026 | Lakers Blow 25-Point Lead as Warriors Get Their Revenge

Game Summary: Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State Warriors

NO URGENCY (UNLESS YOU ARE LUKA DONCIC)

It’s a rough one for the Lakers taking point differential into consideration given that it’s an NBA Cup game. The Warriors trailed Los Angeles by 25 points early in the second quarter, ultimately winning by 17.

Luka Doncic was one of the only two Lakers that recorded a positive +/- and was the lone bright spot for LA despite being on the opposite end of the play of the night. Doncic finished with 37 points (12-of-27 FGs, 6-for-16 3s, 7-of-8 FTs), seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and three turnovers.

The Lakers with Doncic on the court were a +9 during his 37 minutes. The Lakers with Doncic off the court suffered greatly, a -26 in just 11 minutes without him.

Doncic has now recorded 10 20-point quarters as a Laker, joining Kobe Bryant as the only Lakers to reach that mark since 2000.

Austin Reaves posted 21 points (9-of-19 FGs, 1-for-6 3s), four rebounds, five assists, and eight turnovers. Walker Kessler had 10 points (4-of-7 FGs, 2-of-3 FTs), 13 rebounds, and five blocks.

Jake LaRavia had 10 points (3-of-7 FGs, 2-for-5 3s, 2-of-4 FTs) and three turnovers. Matisse Thybulle added 10 points (2-of-6 FGs, 1-for-3 3s, 5-of-5 FTs), three rebounds, and three steals.

The Lakers bench combined for a grand total of seven points on 3-of-16 shooting from the field (18.8%). Collin Sexton contributed zero points (0-of-6 FGs, 0-for-3 3s), Sandro Mamukelashvili had four points (2-of-6 FGs, 0-for-2 3s) and seven rebounds, and Quentin Grimes had three points (1-for-3 3s, 0-of-2 FTs) and three rebounds.

WARRIORS GET THEIR REVENGE

Stephen Curry dropped 31 points (11-of-23 FGs, 8-for-14 3s), four rebounds, and six assists. Curry passed Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 18th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Curry hit a 3 over Doncic at the 6:22 mark of the third quarter, making the foreign superstar touch Earth.

“I was just trying to get a little bit of space,” Curry said when asked about dropping Doncic for the highlight play of the night. “I didn’t expect it to get that nasty. I haven’t been that open in a long time.”

Brandin Podziemski turned up with 21 points (7-of-15 FGs, 4-for-9 3s, 3-of-5 FTs), five rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg had six points (2-of-3 FGs, 1-for-2 3s) and five turnovers.

Draymond Green totaled two points (1-of-3 FGs, 0-for-2 3s), four rebounds, nine assists, and three steals. De’Anthony Melton led the bench with 16 points (5-of-10 FGs, 4-for-6 3s), five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Georges Niang added 11 points (4-of-5 FGs, 3-for-3 3s) and five rebounds.

GAME NOTES

It was a fast start in the NBA Cup opener for the Lakers, who forced three turnovers and converted on the other end to claim a 12-2 lead on Kessler’s alley-oop finish from Doncic in transition.

Doncic dominated the first quarter, finishing the first with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, hitting 5-for-9 3-pointers, plus five assists, and three rebounds. The Lakers led 38-15.

That was Doncic’s 33rd career 20-point quarter, passing James Harden for the third-most in the NBA since 2000. Of those 33 quarters, 18 have come in the first quarter, the most by any player in that span.

The Warriors, however, opened the second quarter on a 13-2 run with Doncic off the floor. The Lakers led 40-28 with 9:30 left in the second. A rough start for Reaves, who had four turnovers and struggled against the Warriors’ ball pressure.

The Lakers pushed their lead back to 14, but another Warriors run, this time 16-2, trimmed the once 25-point edge all the way down to all tied up at the half, somehow. Golden State got a big boost from its bench. Meanwhile, Sexton and Mamukelashvili were a combined 0-of-7.

LA’s inability to capitalize against the Warriors’ pressure and blitzing/trapping undermined their offense.

LA’s starters outplayed those of their opponents once again to start the second half, pushing to a 66-57 edge at the 7:27 mark, a 13-4 run to start the third. Ball movement was much better against Golden State’s pressure. Reaves did a better job of playing under control and attacking the scrambling defenders to get to the rim.

However, the Lakers still couldn’t get anything to fall from the bench group (5 total points), as the Warriors’ second unit turned things around again. LA was up by nine earlier in the third, but the Warriors now led 85-80 at the end of the quarter.

Golden State outscored LA 59-42 in the second half.

Post-Game

Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke to the league’s push against flopping: “We were all in Chicago, we all spoke about this, and we all recognize that the fans want the offensive players to stop flopping.”

Doncic, who carried the Lakers with 37 points, put the collapse on the whole group. “We got to be better. We win together, we lose together,” Doncic said. (Quotes via Basketnews.com and Yahoo Sports.)

Look back at the opening-night win in Showtime Lakers Blitz Warriors 127-105, revisit the Lakers’ first loss of the season in Portland, and follow every story on our Los Angeles Lakers team hub.

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Attendance: 18,064 at Chase Center

Next up: The Lakers host the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, Nov. 1, at crypto.com Arena. Tipoff is 6 p.m. PT on NBA League Pass.

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– Jake Ideguchi-Furukawa – Franchise Sports Media

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