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The Golden State Warriors extended their league-best winning streak to 10 games with a 109-85 victory over the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. It was not nearly the mind-boggling, historic destruction of the Lakers that we saw in Wednesday's 149-106 blowout, but it was not close.

Kevin Durant led the way for the Warriors with 29 points on 11-for-19 shooting, plus nine assists, six rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

Takeaways:

This felt like a preseason game

When Golden State missed its first four shots, you had to wonder if it was going to stay cold, like it did in its confusing, embarrassing 117-97 loss on Nov. 4 at Staples Center. That obviously didn't happen, but the Warriors were never quite at the top of their game for an extended stretch. They hit the Lakers with a 13-0 run in the first quarter to take control, but allowed a 12-1 Los Angeles run in the second quarter. All the while, the outcome was never in doubt, as the Lakers were without D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Nick Young.

Some Golden State games are entertaining even when they're not competitive. This was not one of those. The most memorable moment was when Stephen Curry, who finished with 24 points on 8-for-17 shooting, missed an uncontested dunk on a fast break:


Lakers fans got a good laugh out of that, especially when it was replayed numerous times on the JumboTron. It didn't matter, though. Nothing that happened in this game mattered, really. The Warriors won a game that they should have won, and they wasted an opportunity to truly blow the game open and rest their starters in the fourth quarter. While they led by as many as 22 points, that lead was cut to just 13 with four minutes to go and they needed a 3-point play from Durant to kill Los Angeles' momentum.

After the game, Golden State coach Steve Kerr said this was "one of the worst basketball games I've ever seen in my life," adding that "the people who bought tickets should get their money back," via CSN Bay Area's Monte Poole.

Let's slow down on the Durant-Ingram stuff

I understand the compulsion to compare Lakers rookie Brandon Ingram to Durant, but we are not required to do it -- even if Durant says nice things about him. Ingram has a world of potential, and his wingspan allowed him to block Durant's jumper in the first quarter. This does not mean he should have to live up to the expectations that are created when he's constantly lumped in with an all-time great.

Ingram took 18 shots in his second start as a professional, and he missed 15 of them, including all four of his 3-point attempts. Against a team like this, that's totally OK. At 19 years old, he's going to have nights where he's totally off, and he should get credit for continuing to compete, finishing with nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Unlike Durant, Ingram didn't enter the league and immediately become his team's No. 1 option. He will develop at his own pace.

The assist streak lives on

Late in the fourth quarter, Durant dished the ball to a cutting Curry for a layup. This was the Warriors' 30th assist of the night, and they finished with 31 of them. If you've been paying attention to this team over the past week or so, then you know what this means -- they have hit the 30-assist mark for the 10th straight time, which is the second-longest such streak in NBA history. The Charlotte Hornets did it 13 straight times in 1989. It's crazy that Golden State did this again on a night where it didn't look particularly impressive.

Kevin Durant passes the ball in Los Angeles
The Warriors are racking up assists. USATSI

Scary moment

With about three minutes left in the third quarter, Dub Nation held its collective breath. Warriors guard Ian Clark tripped over Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr.'s foot and fell to the ground under the basket, and Draymond Green inadvertently crashed into Clark after contesting Lou Williams' shot. Both Green and Clark remained on the floor for a while, and neither of them returned to the game.


The official word is that Green has a left ankle contusion and X-rays were negative, and Clark was hit in the throat and showed no signs of a concussion. The hope is that this unfortunate play won't have any lingering effects.

Los Angeles could be in some trouble

Here are a few facts about the Lakers:

To be clear, there is no reason to panic. Big picture, things are still great for this team, and the way these young guys started the season was extremely encouraging. In the short term, though, their record might be about to take a big hit.