Hits and Flops: Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers

The Golden State Warriors had a blowout win over the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center with a scoreline of 130-111.

Klay Thompson had a crazy third quarter and made an NBA record by making 10 consecutive three-pointers to open the match. The Lakers were again without their injured superstar LeBron James who has now missed 14 straight games. James suffered the injury in the first match up between these two teams. The Lakers are now 5-9 in the absence of James and desperately need their superstar back to make a run for the playoff spots.

With the win, the Warriors consolidated the top place in the Western Conference standings with a 33-14 record. Meanwhile, the short-handed Lakers are struggling at the 9th position with a 25-23 record.

The Warriors continue their road trip when they visit the Wizards in their next match. The Lakers will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in their next game with LeBron James' status still unknown.

Let's have a look at the best and the worst players from this match.

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Flop - Kyle Kuzma

Kyle Kuzma had a disappointing game

Kyle Kuzma has been the best scoring option for the Lakers in the absence of James. He dropped two consecutive 32 points games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets but struggled to be effective in this match.

Kuzma ended the match with 16 points and only 2 rebounds. He shot 7-18 from the field and 0-5 from the 3PT line. He struggled throughout the match on both ends of the floor. After a great rookie season from beyond the arc, Kuzma has been having a very inconsistent year from the 3PT line.

Kuzma has been averaging 19.3 points per game for the season on 47% shooting from the floor. He needs to keep performing at a high level on both ends with some really tough matches coming up for the Lakers.

Hit - Ivica Zubac

Zubac again had a very good outing

Ivica Zubac continued his great run in this match. He has been a big force on the offensive end for the Lakers and again dominated from inside.

Zubac is the best offensive big man available to the Lakers and the Lakers have been able to make good use of his offensive powers. Zubac dropped 26 points and 17 points against the Thunder and the Rockets respectively and he was again very effective against the Warriors.

Zubac finished the match with 18 points on 7-8 shooting from the floor in just 20 minutes of action. Zubac has also been one of the best free throw shooters for this team who have really been struggling from the charity stripe. After making 9-9 from the FT line against the Rockets, Zubac made 4-4 FTs against the Warriors.

Zubac has got a great touch around the basket. Once great playmakers like LeBron James and Rajon Rondo return back from injuries, Zubac will become an even greater threat on the offensive end for the Lakers.

Flop - Stephen Curry

Chef Curry was not cooking tonight

Stephen Curry is one of the best players in the league. He has been in MVP conversations throughout the year because of his dazzling displays, his impact on the Warriors and his outrageous shooting.

But this was an off night for the Warriors superstar. Curry recently became the first player in the NBA history to have three consecutive games with 8 or more made three-pointers. He only shot 2-10 from the 3PT line in this game. Curry finished the match with just 11 points but to his credit, he did have 12 assists and was great in setting up plays for his teammates. Curry missed a wide open dunk when he slipped with about 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Curry is averaging 29.5 points per game for the season and is second in the league in scoring. He is also shooting 49% from the field and an unbelievable 45.3% from the 3PT line. Warriors. We can expect Curry to produce an amazing performance against the Wizards after he already crushed them with a 51 point display in three quarters in their earlier match up.

Hit - Klay Thompson

Klay was locked in from the deep

The star of the match was Klay Thompson. There is no one in the league who is capable of getting more hotter than Klay Thompson. He absolutely destroyed the Lakers at the start of the third quarter. He opened the quarter scoring 14 of the first 15 points for the Warriors.

Klay had an NBA record when he made his first 10 three-pointers. He finished the game with 44 points in just 26 minutes of playing time. He shot a mind-boggling 17-20 from the field and 10-11 from the 3PT line. In the third quarter, Klay was shooting from anywhere and was making the shots.

Klay already had a 52 point game against the Bulls when he made an NBA record 14 three-pointers. Klay Thompson is averaging 22 points per game this season and is one of the vital cogs for the Warriors.