SAN FRANCISCO — The Lakers seemingly lost their mojo after the All-Star break, with three consecutive losses leaving them in search of the “consistency” and “togetherness” they had earlier in the season.
Their 129-101 win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday at Chase Center was a step in the right direction, even if the Warriors didn’t offer much of a challenge.
The Lakers (35-24) built a 17-point lead in the first quarter, stretched it to 24 in the second quarter and to 30 points in the third before coasting the rest of the way.
Luka Doncic led the charge with 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds in just 29 minutes. LeBron James was strong with 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in 28 minutes. He also made the 1,000th three-pointer of his career. Austin Reaves had 18 points in 28 minutes.
Luke Kennard scored 16 points, his best with the Lakers so far, and Jake LaRavia had 15 points off the bench.
The Lakers got it done on offense, shooting 53% from the field and 46% from three-point range.
They faced a Warriors team (31-29) playing without Stephen Curry (right knee), Jimmy Butler (right anterior cruciate ligament surgery) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness). Still, a win was far from guaranteed since the Lakers lost to an injury-depleted Phoenix Suns team on Thursday.
The Lakers are 2-3 since the All-Star break. They face a Sacramento Kings team at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night, as they try to remain in the top six in the Western Conference.
“We’re confident we’re going to have a breakthrough,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the Warriors game. “The breakthrough is not always in wins and losses. The breakthrough is in how we’re playing and how we’re playing together, and we’re confident we’re going to find it.”
Even with back-to-back defeats to Oklahoma City and San Antonio, the Lakers went 7-4 ahead of the All-Star break. The Lakers won their first game after the break against the Clippers before losing to Boston, Orlando and Phoenix.
Note: Lakers forward Rui Hachimura missed his second straight game because “he’s still under the weather,” Redick said.
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