Five takeaways from the Lakers’ 117-97 upset of the Warriors

In a nationally televised game, the Lakers showed off some of the growth they’ve experienced in the last week. They beat the Warriors at their own game in a blowout win, 117-97.

Here are five takeaways from the game:

1. Julius Randle is blossoming. He had 20 points and 14 rebounds. He was 10 for 18 from the field with two assists, a steal and a block on a Draymond Green shot. Coach Luke Walton was particularly impressed at the way Randle is always up for any challenge. “I showed Julius clips of Draymond,” Walton said. “I think that’s a great player for him to at least, for now, model his game after. He didn’t come out, and he wasn’t like, Whoa, that’s the guy Luke’s showing me clips of.”

2. The Lakers are trusting each other offensively. They had 19 assists in the first half with only five turnovers. That’s something they weren’t able to accomplish in past games.

3. This also happened in the first half: The Lakers committed only five fouls. Their incessant fouling has been a thorn in Walton’s side throughout the preseason and the first five games of the regular season. While the Lakers did commit 14 second-half fouls, that they started without fouling gave them an early edge.

4. It helps if Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson can’t make any shots. The Warriors were nine for 35 overall and two for 20 from three-point range. Curry made a three-pointer in 157 games, 196 including the playoffs. That streak ended Friday night, and the Lakers capitalized in a big way.

5. The Lakers went small for a while, and Larry Nance Jr. was a big part of why that worked. He was aggressive on defense and made six of six shots. Of course, one of those was a tip-in that Nance surely didn’t intend to be a shot, but it bounced in anyway. It was that kind of night for the Lakers.