LOS ANGELES — Eight seconds left in the first half. Luka Dončić had just made a go-ahead 3-pointer, and the Los Angeles Lakers were a stop away from a halftime lead against the visiting Golden State Warriors, something that seemed unlikely when the Warriors were up by ten with just under five minutes left in the second quarter.
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Dončić was alone on an island against Stephen Curry, with Dončić’s feet dancing on both sides of the 3-point line. Curry didn’t beat Dončić on this possession, failing to elude him despite behind-the-back and between-the-legs combos mixed with a pump fake. But as the crowd began to cheer Curry’s airball, Jimmy Butler III swam through Gabe Vincent and drew a shooting foul with a second left on the game clock. The two free throws gave Butler ten points at the foul line, while the Lakers had only nine points at the foul line as a team. That margin between Butler and the Lakers was mirrored by Golden State’s 55-54 halftime lead.
The Lakers went from feeling momentum to being stuck. And once their recurring third quarter woes resurfaced, the Lakers never led again after Butler’s second-chance free throws just before halftime, losing their home opene
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