NBA Announces Punishment After Lakers-Warriors Game
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors, 118-108, on Saturday night at Chase Center. These two Pacific Division rivals also faced off on Christmas, with Los Angeles securing a 115-113 victory.
This was the 25th regular season head-to-head matchup between LeBron James and Steph Curry. After tallying 25 points, five rebounds and 12 assists in Saturday’s win, James is now 13-12 in those meetings. However, Curry holds a 17-11 advantage over James in playoff games.
While much focus was on the James-Curry battle, it was Lakers star Anthony Davis who led all scorers with 36 points. After the game, the NBA announced a punishment for a play involving Davis.
Davis was fouled by Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney with 3:05 remaining in the first quarter and went to the free-throw line for two shots. The NBA has since upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 1, punishing Looney with his first penalty point of the season
“Kevon Looney’s (GSW) foul against Anthony Davis (LAL) at 3:05 of 1st qtr on 1/25/25 has been upgraded to a Flagrant 1 after league review,” the NBA announced on Sunday.
The NBA follows a penalty points system that makes this ruling significant, even after the game’s completion. A Flagrant 1, which Looney was assessed, is worth one penalty point. After five penalty points, a player receives a one-game suspension (h/t Yahoo! Sports).
This is the first penalty point Looney has accumulated this season (via FOX Sports). Looney played 10 minutes in the loss to Los Angeles, tallying two rebounds and zero points