Curry scores 31 in return as Warriors defeat Lakers 128-121 despite 40 points from James
Associated PressLOS ANGELES — Stephen Curry belatedly celebrated his birthday by returning to the Golden State lineup and leading the Warriors to a much-needed victory. Curry, who turned 36 on Thursday, scored 31 points after missing the last three games with a sprained right ankle as the Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 128-121 on Saturday night in a pivotal Western Conference matchup. What he does is open the floor for everyone else.” The Warriors inched ahead of the Lakers by a percentage point into ninth place in the West after winning a game that dragged to the finish because of a pair of replay reviews — one that overturned an apparent 3-pointer by LeBron James — then a malfunctioning clock. Every game, especially against teams jumbled right there in the play-in, matters,” said Curry, who was 12 of 24 from the field along with six rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes. Klay Thompson added 26 off the bench and Jonathan Kuminga 23 as the Warriors dominated play inside and regularly drove to the rim after Lakers All-Star center Anthony Davis did not play the final three periods after he was poked in the eye late in the first quarter.