The Lakers beat the Warriors 105-99 at the Crypto.com site in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – With Luka Doncic and Steph Curry, two of the NBA’s greatest offensive players, sidelined, it should come as no surprise that Saturday’s marquee game between the Lakers and Warriors turned into a battle of the rocks.

But that’s exactly what worked out, as both teams struggled early on to find any sort of offensive rhythm, and it felt like the first team to do so would be the one to leave the Crypto.com Arena victorious.

And after the offensive push led by LeBron James in the third quarter, the Lakers were that team, leading the Lakers to beat the Warriors 105-99 to continue their strong home run.

James, who finished with a 20-point, 10-assist double-double to go with seven rebounds, had 12 points and three assists in the decisive third game, the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ 38-29 win.

The Lakers scored almost as many points in the third as they did in the first half (42), shooting 63.2% in the game-clinching quarter.

With Doncic sidelined and starter Deandre Ayton late to scratch due to right knee pain, Rui Hachimura returned to the starting unit, scoring 18 points off the bench.

Austin Reaves added 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while Marcus Smart recorded 15 points, four assists and two blocks.

Jarred Vanderbilt (13 points, eight rebounds) changed the game off the bench with his energetic play.

What does it mean

The Lakers have won three games in a row for the second time since late November, and the first in a month.

They improved to 32-19 on the season, the same record as the Houston Rockets, who are number 4 in the Western Conference standings.

Conversion point

Luke Kennard, in his Lakers debut after the team acquired him before Thursday’s trade deadline, sank a 3-pointer in the corner with 5:47 left to give the Lakers a 92-88 lead.

The Warriors cut their deficit from 12 late in the third to one midway through the fourth after a Gary Payton II layup.

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But Kennard’s second 3-pointer of the game put the Lakers up by four, and the Lakers lead at least that point for the rest of the game.

The most underrated change was when Draymond Green got a technical foul at halftime, with the Warriors leading 42-41.

Reaves hit a free throw out of halftime, tying the game at 42 apiece before the second half officially began. The Warriors did not take the lead until the end of the game.

MVP: LeBron James

Even though he didn’t shoot well from the field (6 of 17), and again struggled to take care of the ball (seven turnovers), James’ performance in the third led the Lakers to what was a game-deciding game.

Saturday was James’ second straight point-assist double-double.

Game status: 17

That’s how many Lakers relieved the Warriors, who also attempted 19 more shots from the charity stripe.

Smart led the Lakers with 8-of-9 free throw shooting. James and Reaves both went 6 for 7 at the line.

Next

The Lakers will continue their long playoff streak with a tie against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

The Thunder (40-13) have lost two straight and are 16-11 since Dec. 18. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss the All-Star break with a strained abdominal muscle, and All-NBA wing Jalen Williams hasn’t played since Jan. 17 due to train muscle.

Monday will be the first night of a back-to-back, with the Lakers hosting the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.