The final dagger was inserted and twisted by Warriors forward Stephen Jackson, who took advantage of two defensive lapses in the final minute to sink two three-point shots and kill the Lakers' comeback hopes.
But the Lakers contributed to their own demise Sunday by playing such fractured and disorganized defense in the first half that by the time they erased all of a 26-point Golden State lead and clawed their way into a two-point lead with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, they simply had no energy to sustain it.
The Lakers ran out of bodies -- big bodies, energetic bodies, bodies that didn't have four fouls attached to them -- and the adversity they had recently been able to overcome instead overcame them.
Their 115-111 loss to Golden State, only their second in the teams' previous 17 games at Staples Center, pointed up how badly they miss Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and even Chris Mihm.
With a thin bench, they had to play their starters way too much, and all five exceeded their season average.
Kobe Bryant, the game's top scorer, played 46 minutes 23 seconds, nearly eight minutes more than his average. Vladimir Radmanovic played 36:41, nearly 15 minutes more than his average. Lamar Odom, who contributed 19 points and a game-high 22 rebounds, played 42:36, five minutes more than his average.
Ronny Turiaf, with a season-high 16 points, played 23:20, about five minutes more than he has averaged. And Derek Fisher played 32:43, more than five minutes more than his average.
And they'll get to do this all over again tonight in Oakland in the conclusion of a home-and-home series.
"We had a large gap to make up in that third quarter," Coach Phil Jackson said. "It probably took a lot of energy out of us to get there, but we just couldn't make a stop down the stretch."
Please get well soon, Pau.
Need a massage to help your sore ankle heal? Most of the 18,997 fans who witnessed the Lakers' appalling, 14-turnover first-half performance would be happy to make a house call and apply healing hands if it means getting you back sooner.
You too, Andrew. Please get that knee strong soon so you can restore the down-low presence and imposing defense that the Lakers so badly miss.
Yes, Chris. You, too, would be welcome as soon as you can get back onto the court.
Of that trio, Gasol is closest, perhaps returning late this week. Mihm is hopeful of practicing this week and Bynum is still at least two weeks from returning.
