The Los Angeles Lakers, dead last in the Western Conference standings with a 12-51 record, pulled off what is said to be "one of the largest upsets in NBA history", beating the history-seeking 55-5 Golden State Warriors, 112-95, at the Staples Center on Sunday.
Second-year two-way guard Jordan Clarkson led the Hollywood squad with 25 markers, shooting 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, en route to the shocking blowout win. His backcourt partner, rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell netted 21 points, dished out five assists, and pulled off two steals to finish another impressive game.
Los Angeles is coming in the game with a two-game losing skid, falling in Denver, 117-107, on March 2nd and getting beat at home by the Hawks, 106-77, on March 4th. They had been 1-10 in their previous 11 games prior to the match against the reigning champions as the 16-time champion franchise is set to miss the playoffs again for the third straight season.
"We got what we deserved," said Golden State boss Steve Kerr after his team's surprising loss, as per ESPN. "When the ball doesn't go in, you have to win with energy and defense and toughness, and we didn't have any of that."
Superstar Kobe Bryant, whose retirement tour is slowly coming to an end as the season winds down, played almost 24-and-a-half minutes, scoring 12 points with two rebounds and three assists on 4-of-14 shooting, to help the Lakers achieve the notable win.
Three-time All-Star Steph Curry, who is set to receive a second straight Most Valuable Player award after the regular season, was clearly not in his usual dominating self during the match. He went 6-of-20 from the field, including 1-of-10 from downtown, for 18 points, which is extremely uncharacteristic of the 2015 NBA MVP.
While the Lakers are actually not benefiting from their win against the Warriors as they could lose their first round selection this June if it falls below the third pick, Lakers team officials, including team captain Bryant, believe that the victory has a "symbolic value" for their young core of Clarkson, Russell, and Julius Randle moving forward.
"For the young guys, I think it's extremely important to see the result of it. When you pay attention to little details, good things happen," said Bryant, as per Bleacher Report. "As they grow, they start trusting that more and more, they start trusting the process more and more. So from that aspect, I think it was a big game."