Sports

Stephen Curry scores 31 as the Warriors erase a 25-point hole to beat Luka Doncic and the Lakers 112-95

Stephen Curry scored 31 and dropped Luka Doncic with a crossover as Golden State erased a 25-point deficit to beat the Lakers 112-95 in the NBA Cup.

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A wide view of the seating bowl and center-hung video board inside Chase Center in San Francisco before a game

Luka Doncic owned the first quarter. Stephen Curry owned the rest of the night. Curry scored 31 points as the Golden State Warriors wiped out a 25-point deficit and beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-95 in an NBA Cup game Friday night in San Francisco.

Doncic scored 21 points with five 3-pointers in the opening quarter alone as the Lakers jumped ahead 38-15. He even shushed the home crowd after fans started chanting at him. Los Angeles scored first in the second quarter to push the lead to 25.

Then Golden State flipped the game. The Warriors won the second quarter by that same 38-15 score to tie it at halftime. No team in the shot clock era had ever trailed by 23 or more after one quarter and been tied or ahead at the break.

The bench lights the fuse

Reserves De'Anthony Melton and Georges Niang knocked down a string of second-quarter 3-pointers to get the Warriors back in it. Melton finished with 16 points and Niang added 11.

Curry took it from there. He had eight points and three assists in the late second-quarter surge, then added eight more in the third and nine in the fourth. He has 75 points over his last two games.

The crossover everyone will remember

The signature moment came midway through the third quarter. Golden State spent much of the half hunting Doncic with screens to get him switched onto Curry. When it worked, Curry's dribble combination sent Doncic stumbling to the floor. Curry paused, looked at him and swished a 3.

Curry later said he "didn't expect it to get that nasty." Along the way he passed Dominique Wilkins for 18th place on the NBA's career scoring list.

Brandin Podziemski added 21 points and six assists. It was the biggest winning margin in the shot clock era for a team that trailed by 20 or more after the first quarter.

A rough night for the rookie

The comeback took the spotlight off Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who had traded words with Doncic before the rematch. Lendeborg fouled out with six points and five turnovers and called it the worst game of his life. "Try not to wet the bed as bad as I did," he said of the lesson he would take.

Doncic finished with 37 points. The Warriors are now 3-3 after an 0-3 start. They host the Clippers on Sunday night while the Lakers host Toronto.

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