Steve Kerr has talked about how he wants to see Jordan Bell run the floor and use his athleticism to take over games on the defensive end. On Friday night, Kerr got to see Jordan Bell, a mini Draymond Green, play with the real Draymond Green, and have his best game of the season. With Draymond Green back to full strength, Jordan Bell notched his first double-double, with 20 Points and 10 Rebounds.
Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 33 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 7 Assists to go along with Jordan Bell’s double-double. With Bell’s high level of play, Kerr has stated that he wants to give Bell more minutes with the starters. “They’re the main guys on this team so the fact that he wants to see me play with them more is a good sign for me in the future,” Bell said of Kerr.
Klay Thompson scored 16 Points and Draymond Green added 13 Points and 11 Rebounds in his first game back from a shoulder injury.
The young Lakers put up a valiant fight against the defending champs, who they took to Overtime in the previous two meetings. They had beaten the then-NBA best Houston Rockets and snapped their 14-game winning streak in their previous game.
Their star rookies both had impressive games, as Kyle Kuzma had 27 Points and 14 Rebounds, while Lonzo Ball had 24 Points with 5 made three-pointers.
The Warriors built themselves a solid 23-point lead only to have the young Lakers, led by Kuzma and Ball, storm back and make it a close game down the stretch. However, a quick 6-0 run by the champs ended any chance for a Laker victory.
The Warriors face the Denver Nuggets on Saturday evening before taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers in a Christmas Day, NBA Finals rematch. The Warriors will most likely be without star PG Stephen Curry, as he nurses an ankle injury. The Lakers travel to Portland to take on the Damian Lillard-less Trail Blazers.
