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The Los Angeles Lakers kept pace with the Golden State Warriors for a majority of three quarters, but eventually couldn't keep up with the defending champs in a 116-98 loss. The Lakers had a tough time containing reigning MVP Stephen Curry, who led all scorers with 26 points.
L.A. had most of its success with a small-ball unit featuring all its young players. D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Anthony Brown, Julius Randle and Tarik Black were able to match Golden State's bench throughout most of the second quarter. Russell was aggressive in limited minutes and finished with 12 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Clarkson started slow, but was able to find his shot as the game progressed. The second-year guard finished with 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting.
Randle struggled to get his shot going early, but finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Black brought energy that was lacking on previous Laker second units and posted six points and six rebounds. Brown failed to score and took just two shots.
Kobe Bryant played 27 minutes in his final game at Oracle Arena. Bryant struggled to get his shot, finishing with eight points on 4-for-15 shooting. Lou Williams added 21 points for the Lakers.
No Laker could contain Curry. The star point guard shot 8-of-16 from three-point range and only scored two points inside the arc. The Warriors shot 40 percent from deep as a team while the Lakers only connected on 19 percent of their threes.
The Lakers will get a day off before taking on the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City Saturday.