Austin Reaves didn’t mince words after the Los Angeles Lakers absolutely coughed up a 25-point lead to the Golden State Warriors on Friday, dropping a brutal 112-95 loss. “Terrible,” Reaves told reporters in the locker room. And honestly, he nailed it. This wasn’t just a loss, it was an implosion of epic proportions that should have every Lakers fan asking serious questions about what just happened.
The Collapse That Rewrote History
You want to talk about a game that got away? The Lakers started hot, like seriously hot. They led the Warriors 38-15 after the first quarter, looking like they were going to cruise. Reaves even made two free throws to open the second period, pushing their advantage to a whopping 25 points, up 40-15. Then, well, then it all went to hell in a handbasket. The Warriors hit back with the *exact same* 38-15 scoring margin in the second quarter, completely wiping out the Lakers’ lead and tying the game heading into halftime. Seriously, they just gave it all back. Golden State kept their foot on the gas in the second half, outscoring the Lakers 59-42. What started as a 25-point lead for Los Angeles turned into a 17-point Warriors win, a staggering 42-point swing over the final 35 minutes and 13 seconds of the game. According to Evan Webeck of the California Post, this was the first time since the 1996-97 play-by-play tracking era that a team managed to tie the score at halftime after trailing by at least 25 points. It also marks the largest margin of victory for any team that trailed by at least 25 points in a game. That’s not just a bad night, that’s a historical blunder.
Bench Blues and Curry Magic
If you want to know where the game was truly lost, look no further than the benches. The Warriors’ reserves absolutely demolished the Lakers’, racking up a ridiculous 50-7 advantage in bench scoring. That’s not a typo. Seven points. For the entire Lakers bench. Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes were the only reserves who managed to put points on the board for Los Angeles. And Collin Sexton? He went scoreless, missing all six of his shots in 16 minutes. Oof. Meanwhile, the Warriors had seven different bench players contributing, with De’Anthony Melton (16 points), Georges Niang (11 points), and Brandon Williams (nine points) individually outscoring the entire Lakers’ reserve unit. It’s tough to win when you get zero production from your backups. And when Stephen Curry is out there dropping 31 points for the opposition, you need every single bucket you can get.
This loss is a tough pill to swallow for the Lakers, who have now dropped two of their last three games after starting the season with a promising 3-0 record. For the Warriors, however, it’s a huge statement. They’ve now erased their own 0-3 start with three consecutive victories. This isn’t just a loss for the Lakers, it’s an early season gut check. Blowing a lead like that raises serious questions about their consistency and depth. They’ve got to figure out their bench situation and how to close out games, because collapses like this one will haunt them all season long if they don’t.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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