Draymond Green congratulated the NBA on a "job well done" following the start of the league's inaugural in-season tournament.

The new competition started on Friday, with seven group-stage games played. The other pool games will be played on six other days across the month of November.

Green finished with 15 points as he helped the Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 141-139.

And the four-time NBA champion believes the tournament is a great idea.

"We talk about this in-season tournament and it's a playoff game," Green said.

"It was a fun game to play in. The intensity level was there.

"It's a job well done to the NBA, adding this type of excitement in November, because there'll be some dark days in November, but you get games like this, you can appreciate them. It was great."

The Warriors won in contentious circumstances, with Stephen Curry's layup with less than a second to go allowed to stand after a video review.

Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic starred for the Denver Nuggets, with 33 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists while shooting 14-for-16 from the field in a win over the Dallas Mavericks.

"What I marvel at is just the consistency," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of Jokic.

"I mean, the guy is just great every night. He's just a great player. I just love how he impacts the game in every way, shape and form. It's really the definition of greatness."

Elsewhere, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the New York Knicks, the Indiana Pacers saw off the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat overcame the Washington Wizards.

There were also wins for the Brooklyn Nets and Portland Trail Blazers.

The Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets were among the victors as the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament began.

A last-second layup from Steph Curry was the difference for Golden State in their 141-139 group stage win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Curry finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Lu Dort top-scored for the Thunder with 29.

It also went down to the wire in Portland, where the Trail Blazers eclipsed the Memphis Grizzlies 115-113 in overtime.

After a back-and-forth first half, neither side was able to gain much of an advantage through the final two quarters.

Shaedon Sharpe’s clutch free throws drew the Trail Blazers level with eight seconds left on the clock before he blocked Luke Kennard’s attempt from the corner on the other end to force overtime.

Both teams continued to trade baskets until Jerami Grant’s late three proved enough to get Portland across the line.

A late flurry from Damian Lillard lifted the Milwaukee Bucks over the New York Knicks 110-105.

He finished with 30 points, including two clutch threes in the dying minutes, while Giannis Antetokounmpo added 22 points and eight rebounds.

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Chicago Bulls 109-107 on the back of 41 combined points from Dorian Finney-Smith and Mikal Bridges.

Elsewhere, the Miami Heat beat the Washington Wizards by seven points, Myles Turner scored 27 to lead the Indiana Pacers over the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-116, and the Denver Nuggets cruised past the Dallas Mavericks 125-114.

The in-season tournament sees each NBA team play a four-game group stage in November, with the group winners advancing to knockout rounds.

The winning team claims the NBA Cup, and its players earn 500,000dollars each, with the final to be played in Las Vegas on December 9.

Nikola Jokic scored 33 points and fell an assist shy of a triple-double as the Denver Nuggets sent the Dallas Mavericks to their first loss of the season, 125-114 on Friday in the inaugural In-Season Tournament.

Michael Porter Jr. had 24 points and nine rebounds and Jamal Murray added 18 points and 13 assists to help Denver bounce back from its first loss of the season.

Jokic shot 14 of 16 and grabbed a season-high 14 boards, coming up an assist short of his 108th career triple-double.

Luka Doncic also just missed a triple-double with 34 points, 10 boards and eight assists and Kyrie Irving scored 22 points for Dallas, which opened the season 4-0.

The Mavericks were without coach Jason Kidd, who didn’t make the trip due to a non-COVID-19 illness. Top assistant Sean Sweeney took his spot on the bench.

Dallas' loss leaves 4-0 Boston as the league’s lone remaining unbeaten team.

Curry’s last-second layup lifts Warriors

Stephen Curry scored 30 points and made the winning layup with 0.2 seconds left to propel the Golden State Warriors to a 141-139 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the teams’ first In-Season Tournament game.

Curry’s basket was initially waved off because of offensive goaltending, but it was overturned, and the Warriors notched their second straight last-second win. Klay Thompson hit a jumper with less than a second remaining in Wednesday’s win over Sacramento.

Dario Saric had 20 points and Andrew Wiggins added 17 to help Golden State win its fifth straight since a season-opening loss to Phoenix.

Lu Dort led the Thunder with 29 points – including 6 of 6 from 3-point range - and Chet Holmgren had a career-high 24 on 7-of-9 shooting with eight rebounds and five assists.

Oklahoma City played without leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who sat out with a sprained knee.

Bucks overcome Brunson, Knicks

Damian Lillard scored six straight points down the stretch on his way to 30 points and the Milwaukee Bucks got past the New York Knicks, 110-105 to open the inaugural In-Season Tournament.

Milwaukee survived Jalen Brunson’s 45 points and blew a 14-point lead before Lillard sank a 3-pointer to give the Bucks a 104-103 lead with 1:03 left.

Lillard converted a three-point play 25 seconds later to make it 107-103 and sealed the win with two free throws in the waning seconds.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Milwaukee, which has alternated wins and losses in each of its five games this season.

Brunson was 17 of 30 from the field and fell three points shy of his career high, set against Cleveland on March 31.

Luka Doncic amassed 35 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists to help the Dallas Mavericks continue their strong start to the NBA season with Monday's 125-110 road win over the slumping Memphis Grizzlies. 

Coming off a 49-point effort in a win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, Doncic followed up by making 6 of 12 attempts from 3-point range and going 11 of 22 overall from the field to lead the way as the Mavericks improved to 3-0.

Derrick Jones added 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 21 points on a night Dallas played without its other star guard, Kyrie Irving, due to a left foot sprain.

Memphis, which had the Western Conference's second-best record at 51-31 last season, fell to 0-4 despite 30 points each from Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane. The Grizzlies also got 23 points and nine assists from Marcus Smart in a losing cause.

The short-handed Grizzlies have opened the season without a pair of starters in All-Star Ja Morant and center Steven Adams. Morant is serving a 25-game suspension by the NBA for conduct detrimental to the league, while Adams is not expected to play in 2023-24 after recently undergoing knee surgery.

Jokic powers 4-0 Nuggets past Jazz

Nikola Jokic recorded the 107th triple-double of his illustrious career with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists to lead the unbeaten Denver Nuggets to a 110-102 win over the Utah Jazz.

Jokic made 12 of 16 field-goal attempts and added a pair of blocks while tying LeBron James and Jason Kidd for fourth on the NBA's all-time list in triple-doubles. 

Denver also got an efficient shooting night from Aaron Gordon, who finished 12 of 16 from the field while compiling 21 points and seven rebounds. Jamal Murray chipped in 18 points and 14 assists as the defending NBA champions moved to 4-0.

Lauri Markkanen paced Utah with 27 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, while Walker Kessler tallied 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting along with 13 rebounds.

The Jazz led for just 16 seconds and trailed by as many as 17 points to fall to 1-3.

Curry's hot hand sparks Warriors' rout of Pelicans

Stephen Curry drained seven 3-pointers and finished with 42 points as the Golden State Warriors continued their recent roll with a 130-102 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans.

With long-time backcourt mate Klay Thompson unavailable with a sore right knee, Curry carried the Warriors' offence by going 15 of 22 from the floor and 7 of 13 on 3-point tries. The two-time NBA MVP added five assists to help the Warriors to a third straight victory following a season-opening loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Curry has now made 24 3-pointers during the Warriors' 3-1 start, the most by any player through four games of a season in NBA history. 

Moses Moody started in place of Thompson and scored 13 points, with Chris Paul and rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis also contributing 13 points off the bench in a game Golden State broke open in the second half.

The Warriors held a slim 59-57 advantage at half-time before outscoring the Pelicans by a 39-21 margin in the third quarter.

New Orleans had a two-game winning streak to begin the season snapped while playing without second-leading scorer Brandon Ingram, who was held out with a sore right knee.

Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum led the Pelicans with 19 points each.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum grabbed 69 points between them as the Boston Celtics cruised to a third straight win with a 126-107 victory over the Washington Wizards.

Brown scored 36 points and Tatum 33, Kristaps Porzingis adding 15 on his return to Washington after an off-season move between the clubs.

It is the second successive season the Celtics, who reached the Eastern Conference finals last time out, have begun with three straight wins.

Their efforts were eclipsed by Dejounte Murray, who matched his career-best haul with 41 points as he helped the Atlanta Hawks come from 19 points down at half-time to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-113.

Steph Curry shrugged off the absence of Klay Thompson with a knee injury as he inspired the Golden State Warriors to a 130-102 win at the New Orleans Pelicans.

Curry scored 42 points, opening with a pair of three-pointers from 25 feet and wrapping his scoring up from 31 feet.

The Dallas Mavericks remain unbeaten as Luka Doncic grabbed a triple-double with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in a 125-110 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Nikola Jokic also recorded a triple-double – his second of the season – with 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets saw off the Utah Jazz 110-102.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points for the Milwaukee Bucks as they avenged being eliminated by the Miami Heat in last year’s play-offs with a 122-114 win, despite 35 points from Tyler Herro.

Cam Thomas scored 33 points as the Brooklyn Nets beat the Charlotte Hornets 133-121 for their first win of the season, while Nikola Vucevic inspired the Chicago Bulls as they came from behind late to inflict a first defeat on the Indiana Pacers, 112-105.

The Portland Trail Blazers also claimed their first win, Jerami Grant scoring 22 points as they beat the Toronto Raptors 99-91, while 32 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lifted the Oklahoma City Thunder past the Detroit Pistons.

The Golden State Warriors watched a 16-point lead disappear and were in danger of losing to the winless Houston Rockets.

That's when Stephen Curry took over.

The Warriors rallied for a 106-95 win over the Rockets on Sunday, thanks to Curry's late 3-point barrage.

Curry made four 3-pointers in less than two minutes, helping Golden State turn a two-point deficit to an 11-point advantage with just over three minutes remaining to seal the win for the Warriors (2-1).

 Curry had a game-high 24 points to go with seven rebounds and six assists, while Klay Thompson added 19 points for the Warriors, who trailed 87-85 midway through the fourth quarter before going on a 15-2 run highlighted by Curry's four 3-pointers.

Draymond Green played in his first game of the season after missing the first two contests due to a sprained left ankle, and finished with four points, five rebounds and five assists in 21 minutes.

With Green entering the starting lineup against the Rockets (0-3), Chris Paul moved into a reserve role - the first time in his 19-year career he came off the bench.

Paul had started the first 1,365 games of his NBA career - including the playoffs - the longest such stretch to begin a career since the NBA began tracking games in 1982.

The 38-year-old finished with eight points, seven assists and five boards in 27 minutes.

Fox, Monk power Kings to overtime win over Lakers

De'Aaron Fox shined in regulation and Malik Monk stepped up in overtime to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 132-127 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Fox scored 37 points, with eight coming in the last six minutes of the fourth quarter after he returned from an ankle injury that forced him to get evaluated in the locker room earlier in the period.

After Fox carried Sacramento (2-1) in regulation, Monk came to life in overtime, scoring 11 of Sacramento's 17 points in the extra session. He hit a pair of 3-pointers in OT and finished the game with 22 points and also found Kevin Huerter for a key 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining.

The win spoiled the 20th anniversary of the NBA debut of LeBron James, who played in his first pro game on October 29, 2003 - also in Sacramento.

James' layup with 15 seconds to play forced OT for the Lakers (1-2), who battled back after trailing by as much as 15 and were still down seven with 90 seconds to go.

James finished with 27 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists in 39 minutes, while Anthony Davis had 30 points and 16 boards with three blocks.

 Balanced Hawks cruise past Bucks for first win

Trae Young scored 20 to lead eight Atlanta Hawks in double figures as the team rolled to a 127-110 win over the Milwaukee Bucks for their first victory.

Bogdan Bogdanovic finished with 17 points, while Dejounte Murray and De'Andre Hunter each scored 15 for an Atlanta team that took advantage of an off-shooting night by Damian Lillard to pull away in the second quarter and grab a 68-47 half-time lead.

After scoring 39 points in his Bucks debut in Thursday's win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Lillard failed to score in the first half, while missing all seven of his shots. He finished with just six points on 2-of-12 shooting and turned the ball over six times after having none in the opener.

Overall, the Bucks (1-1) had 23 giveaways, leading to 22 points for the Hawks (1-2).

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points and 11 rebounds for a Milwaukee team that played without Khris Middleton, who is coming off offseason knee surgery and was rested in the first half of a back-to-back.

Nikola Jokic opened his season with another triple-double and Jamal Murray scored 21 points as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 119-107 on Tuesday after raising their NBA championship banner.

Jokic had 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his 106th career triple-double, which trails only Russell Westbrook (198), LeBron James (107) and Jason Kidd (107) on the career list.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 20 points, Aaron Gordon added 15 and Michael Porter Jr. contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds for Denver, which went 16-4 in the playoffs last season, including a sweep of the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

All of Los Angeles’ starters scored in double figures, led by James’ 21 points in 29 minutes as his playing time was being monitored at the start of his 21st season.

Denver led by as many as 18 points, but the Lakers whittled the lead down to three on James’ 3-pointer with 9:42 remaining.

James’ basket got Los Angeles within 103-96 with just over five minutes to play, but the Nuggets responded with a 10-3 run featuring 3s by Murray and Porter.

Booker sparks Suns past Warriors

Devin Booker scored 32 points and the Phoenix Suns got past the Golden State Warriors 108-104 in Kevin Durant’s return to the Bay Area in a back-and-forth season opener for the Pacific Division powerhouses.

Booker shot 13 of 21 and had eight assists and six rebounds, while Jusuf Nurkic added 14 points and 14 boards – including a key driving layup in the closing seconds - in his Suns debut.

Josh Okogie sank a baseline jumper with 69 seconds left, and Eric Gordon drained a 3-pointer with 45 seconds to play before Stephen Curry’s 3 drew Golden State within 106-104 with 31 seconds to go.

Nurkic’s layup made it a four-point game and Paul’s missed 3 ended the Warriors’ hopes.

Durant scored 18 points on 7-of-22 shooting with 10 rebounds in his first game in front of Bay Area fans since leaving the Warriors after the 2019 NBA Finals.

Curry had 27 points and Chris Paul had 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds in his Warriors debut facing his most recent team.

Draymond Green will miss the rest of the preseason but does have a chance of playing in the Golden State Warriors’ regular season opener against the Phoenix Suns.

The Warriors have confirmed the forward will not feature in their final two preseason games against the Sacramento Kings and the San Antonio Spurs this week as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.

Golden State plays its first game of the NBA season at home against the Suns on October 24, with coach Steve Kerr saying his status for that contest is questionable, which is an upgrade to what was previously thought.

Whether the four-time NBA champion is ready to face the Suns or not, Kerr is glad Green is close to a return and will not rush him back prematurely.

"Opening night is questionable," Kerr said to 95.7 The Game.  

"He’s not going to play [in preseason] this week. But he is doing really well and moving much better. He went on the trip with us over the weekend and got in some individual workouts.

"I’m not overly concerned about whether he plays opening night or the second week of the season, whenever it comes.

"It’s a long year. We just want Draymond healthy because obviously, we need him. When he’s out there, we become one of the best defenses in the league.

"I just talked to him and he felt good in his [Tuesday] workout. He's moving around, he's doing some drill work on the court and by the end of the week hopefully he is playing some 3-on-3. We'll reevaluate at that point."

Green played in 73 NBA games last season but regularly battled minor ailments, while he missed a month of the 2021-22 campaign with a back injury.

The 33-year-old agreed to a new four-year, $100 million contract with the Warriors in June.

The Golden State Warriors have agreed to acquire Chris Paul from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jordan Poole and two draft picks, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.

Paul was traded to Washington over the weekend in the deal that sent Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns. The rebuilding Wizards saw no need to keep the 38-year-old point guard, who is still searching for an NBA title to complete his impressive career.

The Wizards will reportedly receive guard Ryan Rollins, a protected first-round pick in 2030 and a 2027 second-rounder, along with a 24-year-old scorer in Poole.

Poole signed a four-year, $140million extension with the Warriors last offseason after Golden State won the 2022 NBA title.

Later that offseason, teammate Draymond Green punched Poole during practice.

Poole averaged a career-high 20.4 points last season, but his efficiency dropped and he scored just 10.3 points per game in the playoffs as the Warriors were eliminated in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

Paul joins forces with Stephen Curry on a title-contending roster that includes veterans Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney.

Green, who has helped the Warriors win four titles since 2015, declined a $27.5million player option earlier this month and will become an unrestricted free agent on June 30.

Majority owner Joe Lacob and newly crowned general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. have publicly declared the Warriors’ desire to bring Green back on a new contract.

“I'll reiterate, we really want Draymond back,” Dunleavy told reporters on Monday. “What he means to this organization and this team in terms of trying to win at the highest level, we feel like we have to have him.”

Longtime Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green will decline his $27.6 million player option for next season, the forward’s agent told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday.

Rich Paul of Klutch Sports told Wojnarowski “we will continue to talk to Golden State and explore all options.”

The 33-year-old Green has been with Golden State since the Warriors drafted him in the second round (35th overall) of the 2012 NBA Draft.

Green was a key member of Golden State’s four NBA championship teams in an eight-season span from 2014-15 to 2021-22.

He was the 2016-17 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, is a four-time All-Star and has been named First-Team All-Defensive four times.

Since becoming a full-time starter in 2014-15, Green has averaged 9.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.48 steals in 597 regular-season games.

He ranks third in franchise history with 758 career games played behind Stephen Curry (882) and Hall of Famer Chris Mullin (807).

The Golden State Warriors didn’t have to look far to find their next general manager.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. will take over as GM and successor to Bob Myers, the team announced Friday.

Dunleavy, who had been serving as the team’s vice president of basketball operations, is now tasked with following Myers’ 11-year run as president and GM that produced four NBA championships. Myers previously announced that he is stepping down on June 30.

“[Dunleavy] has a wealth of basketball knowledge, stemming from his family upbringing, a 15-year NBA playing career and five seasons serving under Bob Myers in our front office,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in a statement.

“He's young and energetic, has established numerous relationships around the league and communicates well with players and coaches -- all important traits in this business. Mike's ready for this challenge and responsibility.”

Dunleavy will share decision-making power with executive vice president of basketball operations Kirk Lacob, ESPN reported.

Dunleavy was drafted by the Warriors and played for six NBA franchises over the course of his career.

He joined the Warriors’ staff as a scout in 2018 and was promoted to assistant general manager the following season.

The Warriors face a pivotal offseason after being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Draymond Green has a $27.6 million player option for next season, and Klay Thompson is entering the final season of his contract.

Stephen Curry led a balanced attack with 27 points and the Golden State Warriors notched a season-extending 121-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on Wednesday.

Facing elimination, the defending champion Warriors took the lead late in the second quarter and never trailed again to force the series back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Friday.

Andrew Wiggins had 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Draymond Green had his best game of the series with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, nine boards and four assists.

Gary Payton II (13 points), Jordan Poole (11) and Klay Thompson (10) also reached double figures for Golden State.

The Warriors led by as many as 17 in the third quarter, but the Lakers trimmed the deficit to 104-95 on Austin Reaves' 3-pointer with 5:25 remaining. Curry, however, sank a jumper and a three to put Golden State up 14.

LeBron James scored 25 points and Anthony Davis had 23 and nine rebounds before he left in the fourth quarter after taking what appeared to be an inadvertent elbow to the head from Golden State's Kevon Looney. Davis grabbed his head grimacing before going to the locker room late in the game.
 

Brunson goes distance as Knicks force Game 6

Jalen Brunson scored 38 points and the New York Knicks kept their season alive with a 112-103 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Brunson played all 48 minutes, shot 12 of 22 from the field and hit 4 of 10 3-pointers while adding nine rebounds and seven assists.

RJ Barrett added 26 points, including four free throws in the final two minutes to preserve the lead, and Julius Randle scored 24 with four threes to get New York within 3-2 in the series.

Jimmy Butler led Miami with 19 points and Bam Adebayo had 18 and eight boards. Duncan Robinson scored 17 points and hit three of his five 3s in the fourth quarter as the eighth-seeded Heat nearly came all the way back after trailing by 19 in the third quarter.

Miami got the deficit down to 103-101 before Isaiah Hartenstein slammed home a follow dunk with 2:07 left. Barrett followed with a pair of free throws and hit another two after Adebayo's dunk to make it 109-103 with under a minute remaining.

The fifth-seeded Knicks will try to force the series back to New York with a road win in Game 6 on Friday.

Anthony Davis bounced back with a stellar performance and got ample help from D'Angelo Russell and LeBron James in the Los Angeles Lakers' 127-97 win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

Davis had 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Lakers took a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Lakers' big man was limited to 11 points and seven boards in a Game 2 loss but was relentless at both ends in this one, also adding four blocks and three steals.

Russell scored all 21 of his points in the first half as the Lakers took a 59-48 advantage into the locker room.

James did not attempt a shot in the first quarter for the first time in his playoff carer but led several runs in the second and third quarters on his way to 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

Los Angeles had a huge advantage at the free throw line, making 28 of 37 to just 12 of 17 for Golden State.

The Warriors ended the opening quarter with a 30-23 lead, but the Lakers won the second and third quarters by a combined margin of 63-38. Lakers coach Darvin Ham rested his starters for most of the fourth quarter.

Stephen Curry had 23 points and Andrew Wiggins added 16 for the Warriors, who committed 18 turnovers and made only 13 of 44 from long range.

Golden State got very little from anyone other than Curry, Wiggins or Klay Thompson (15 points), with starters Draymond Green and JaMychal Green combining for just four points on 2-of-9 shooting.

Heat get Butler back, dominate Knicks

Jimmy Butler scored 28 points and was the driving force in his return from a sprained ankle and the Miami Heat rolled to a 105-86 rout of the New York Knicks in Game 3.

Max Strus added 19 points and Bam Adebayo had 17 with 12 rebounds to give Miami a 2-1 lead in the second-round series.

After missing Miami's Game 2 loss due to the ankle, Butler was seen limping at times in the second half Saturday, but the Heat started fast and never trailed against the cold-shooting Knicks.

Butler scored 10 points in the first quarter and the Heat made 10 of their first 15 shots in racing to a 58-44 halftime lead. New York, meanwhile, misfired on 13 of its first 17 shots and shot just 34.1 percent for the game, including a dismal 8-for-40 from 3-point range.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 20 points and Josh Hart had 14. Julius Randle was mostly ineffective with 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting and RJ Barrett was not much better with 14 points on 5 of 16.

Klay Thompson felt "moments of euphoria" as his impressive performance led the Golden State Warriors to a 127-100 win over the Lakers in the NBA playoffs.

Golden State levelled their second-round series at 1-1 on Thursday, as Thompson thrived by scoring 30 points in a display that included eight 3-pointers.

The hot-shooting Warriors bounced back from Tuesday’s close Game 1 loss to recapture the momentum ahead of Game 3 in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Golden State shot over 50 percent overall and set an NBA record for the most 3-pointers in the first two games of a playoff series with 42.

And Thompson now has 12 playoff games where he has made at least seven 3-pointers, giving him an NBA record.

"These are moments you work for," Thompson said after the game, per NBC Sports.

"You might not see them all the time when you're in the gym, when you're conditioning, running a thousand miles.

"Those short moments of euphoria and that flow state where you just feel like you can't miss, make all those hard days more than worth it. 

"I was just trying to get the crowd going, and it's always fun when you shoot the ball well. But it's even better when you couple that with a win."

Thompson was visibly animated in the closing stages of the game, often shouting and jumping in delight as he converted shot after shot.

He was 8-of-11 from 3-point range and 11-of-18 shooting, with 14 of his points coming in a third quarter that the Warriors dominated 43-24 to end any hopes of a Lakers comeback.

"Sometimes when you are out there and you're having fun, things just come about without intention or thought," explained Thompson. 

"I think I was saying something along the lines of probably a few cuss words I'm not proud of. But those are the moments I feel the best as an athlete - when you feel like you're just clicking with your game, it’s just effortless."

Thompson had 25 points in Game 1, but shot only 9-of-25 in the opener.

"I relaxed a little bit more," Thompson said about his improvement in Game 2.

"I was not happy with my Game 1 performance. Shot the ball very inefficiently and probably rushed some shots. So I just let it come to me. I was telling myself to stay patient and it paid dividends."

Draymond Green came up just short of a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. He relished seeing his fellow four-time NBA champion Thompson thrive.

"I just knew he was locked in," said Green. "He was really p****d off with our [Game 1] performance and he was dialled in coming in.

"When he's getting great looks like that, we know he's one of the best shooters to ever play this game."

Stephen Curry had 20 points and 12 assists, while JaMychal Green added 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting in his first playoff start since 2019.

Klay Thompson scored 30 points with eight 3-pointers and all five Golden State starters reached double figures as the Warriors cruised to a 127-100 rout of the Lakers on Thursday.

The hot-shooting Warriors bounced back from Tuesday’s close Game 1 loss to tie the second-round series at one game apiece.

Stephen Curry had 20 points and 12 assists, JaMychal Green added 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting in his first playoff start since 2019 and Draymond Green nearly notched a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

Golden State, which shot over 50 percent overall, set an NBA record for the most 3-pointers in the first two games of a playoff series with 42.

LeBron James scored 21 of his 23 points in the first half and Los Angeles struggled to keep up, with Anthony Davis limited to 11 points and seven rebounds following his 30 and 23 performance in the series opener.

Thompson’s 3 early in the third quarter ignited a 14-4 run for Golden State that extended the lead to 82-64. The Warriors were never threatened thereafter and finished with 43 points in the third quarter.

The series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday.