LOS ANGELES — LeBron James and Anthony Davis might finally have a supporting solid to assist the Los Angeles Lakers make a push to get into the playoffs.
Malik Beasley scored 25 points and was one among eight players in double figures because the new-look Lakers returned from the All-Star break to beat the Golden State Warriors 124-111 on Thursday night.
Los Angeles (28-32) is thirteenth within the Western Conference but has won three of 4 for the reason that trade deadline. They’re 1 1/2 games out of a spot within the play-in tournament.
Beasley, who was acquired from Utah as a part of a three-team trade on the deadline, has two 20-point games in his 4 starts for the Lakers.
“LeBron and AD didn’t get going as much as they wanted tonight, but we’re deep, and I believe that’s the statement we have the desire to make,” Beasley said. “It could actually be any player on any given night.”
Beasley made seven 3-pointers on an evening when the Lakers shot a season-bet 53.3% from beyond the arc (16 of 30) and picked up a season-high 58 rebounds.
It was a quiet night for Davis and James, who each saw under half-hour of motion.
James — who suffered a hand injury in the course of the All-Star game Sunday night — had 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. But James was 5 of 20 from the ground, marking only the sixth time in his profession he has shot 25% or worse when attempting no less than 20 shots.
“We’re still figuring things out on the fly,” said Davis, who had 12 points and 12 rebounds. “The past two games we’ve really looked good as a complete. I believe we’ve got an entire team where we’re capable of make a run.”
Austin Reeves had 17 points off the bench, including 13 within the third quarter. The Lakers got a season-best 68 points from their reserves, including five in double figures.
“Just overall great team win. Everybody contributed, everybody had different moments and guys stayed aggressive,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “I feel great about what we’ve been capable of do (for the reason that trade deadline). It’s paying dividends immediately and we’ve just got to proceed to get increasingly aware of each other.”
Klay Thompson led Golden State with 22 points and Ty Jerome added 20. The defending NBA champions are 29-30 and fell to tenth place within the Western Conference.
The Warriors are 9-12 this season without All-Star Stephen Curry. They’ve dropped 4 of six since Curry suffered a left leg injury on Feb. 4 against Dallas.
“We were fouling, had some disjointed offensive possessions, some turnovers and a few difficult shots that were mainly shot/turnovers,” coach Steve Kerr said. “There have been several key stretches where we had a probability to get back in the sport but couldn’t put it together.”
Golden State got to 59-58 early within the third quarter on a jumper by Thompson before the Lakers went on a 21-7 run.
The Warriors countered by getting inside eight before the Lakers broke it open again with a 26-6 spurt.