While the focus of Monday night centered around the Los Angeles Lakers honoring Kobe Bryant by retiring his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys, there was a game to be played against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, in the first of two head-to-head meetings this week.
The Warriors went into the matchup shorthanded, as they were without Stephen Curry (sprained right ankle), Draymond Green (right shoulder soreness), Shaun Livingston (sore right knee) and Zaza Pachulia (left shoulder soreness). The Lakers, meanwhile, lost Brook Lopez to injury two minutes before halftime.
After being switched on to Kevin Durant, Lopez rolled his right ankle while contesting Durant’s driving, left-handed layup that resulted in a three-point play.