On Thursday night, the Golden State Warriors hosted the Los Angeles Lakers. When TNT first scheduled the contest, the network likely thought both team would be in the playoff hunt. A Steph Curry vs. LeBron James game just a few days before the playoffs seemed like a good idea at the time. However, the Lakers are well out of the playoff hunt and most of their players – including LeBron – aren’t even playing tonight. The Warriors on the other hand, are looking at the top seed in the Western Conference yet again. As the team searches for another NBA title, Golden State is hitting its stride tonight against Los Angeles. Early in tonight’s game, the Warriors opened a healthy lead. The game came so easy for Golden State, Curry had to make it more difficult. In the first quarter, the star point guard hit a streaking Kevin Durant with a no-look, behind-the-back pass for an assist. Check it out. It looks like the Warriors are firing on all cylinders with just a few games left in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Lakers seem primed for the offseason. Steph Curry and the Warriors hold a 39-12 lead after the first 12 minutes of play.<doc-sep>Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been making the most of his new contacts and the 20/20 vision that comes with it, dropping a honey-dipped left-handed behind-the-back dime to Kevin Durant, catching him in stride through the length of the court for the easy flush. The Golden State Warriors star only needed a split-second glance at Durant to know he could thread the needle with an exquisite delivery, getting his teammate right in the bread basket for the inevitable slam. Yet Durant doesn’t think that’s one of Chef Curry’s greatest hits. “That’s not the first time he’s thrown a lefty behind the back,” said Durant, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “He’s had some better passes than that one. That was a great pass, a good look, but that’s normal for him.” So which one is he referring to? “We played the Lakers in preseason the first year I got here, he did the same thing, the same type of pass and I hit Klay (Thompson) for a three,” said Durant. “He did that two times in a row. I remember that game. But he’s got some passes he goes left hand from the other side of the court to the corner. He’s a phenomenal passer with his left hand.” Stephen Curry wasn’t very impressed with it himself, noting the devil is in the details. “Honestly, I thought it was pretty easy,” said Curry. “The cool part is he caught it in stride.” As far as memorable, his high bounce-to-the-oop pass to Giannis Antetokounmpo in the All-Star Game has to compete for the honors, right? Not for Curry. “Tough to say the best pass of your career was in an All-Star Game,” he said. Nevertheless, the Warriors have been playing with unbridled joy the past few games, a sign they’re tuning back into the well-oiled machine they’re accustomed to being as they head to the playoffs.<doc-sep>Get ready to see a Steph Curry highlight over and over again. It'll be on all the highlight reels. The Warriors star most recently has been in the news for the revelation that he had been playing with blurred vision. That was rectified with the usage of contact lenses, as he's been on a sharpshooting streak ever since. He put his newly improved vision to good use Thursday night, when he delivered a pass to Kevin Durant in a rather nontraditional manner. After collecting a loose ball in the Warriors' own painted area, Curry made a behind-the-back pass -- with his left hand -- on the money to a wide-open Durant on the other side of the court. Durant then deposited his two easiest points of the night with a thunderous breakaway jam. Durant's dunk increased the Warriors' lead to 27-8 over the Lakers with just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Warriors went on to lead 39-12 at the end of one, and they held a 60-42 advantage at halftime.<doc-sep>
The Warriors are just showing off against the sagging Lakers tonight in Staples Center. The likely top-seed in the Western Conference sprinted to a 39-12 lead by the end of the first quarter. Steph Curry did it in style, whipping a pass behind his back to hit Kevin Durant for a fast break dunk. It gave Golden State a 27-8 margin with less than 5 minutes to go in the first frame. Curry already has 5 assists, while Durant (11 points) and DeMarcus Cousins (10) are both in double-digits. This is a meeting between Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and his former assistant Luke Walton, who has faced a slew of rumors about his job security in Los Angeles. The Lakers, currently 35-43, will miss the postseason for a franchise record 6th straight time. One of Walton’s biggest backers has been owner Jeannie Buss. However, she has avoided talking about his future, and recent reports have stated that she won’t get in the way of a potential firing once the season concludes next week. Kerr publicly defended Walton at practice earlier today. “Luke is holding up fine. He was born for this job, he really is. Not only his basketball mind, which is top notch. The guy really has a feel for the game better than anyone I’ve ever been around. His temperament is really perfect for this job…he’s down a good job being poised.” Walton and the Lakers are 6-14 in their last 20. With LeBron James sitting for the rest of the season, a once-promising season is mercifully close to over. Wit 5:29 left in the second quarter, Golden State leads 50-27. They are set to win the season series 3-1 if they finish the rout tonight.