Los Angeles Lakers: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season

10. Lakers get statement win over Golden State Warriors

Young teams destined for the bottom of the standings can often start hot, or show flashes that will otherwise fade as the season goes on. The Orlando Magic, for example, began the season 8-4 before dropping to 8-13 and ultimately finishing 25-57 in the heart of the NBA tankathon.

Similarly, the Los Angeles Lakers began the season showing flashes, from Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma generating excitement to Brook Lopez destroying his former team (more on all of that later). On Nov. 29, the Lakers made a true statement that at their best, they can hang with anyone.

The defending champion Golden State Warriors came to town with everyone healthy, a rare circumstance for this year’s team. For 48 minutes, the Lakers gave the Warriors everything they could handle, with Brandon Ingram going one-on-one with Kevin Durant for much of the second half. When the dust settled the game was going to overtime.

In the extra session, Stephen Curry seemed to put the lid on the Lakers with quick 3-pointers, but it wasn’t over yet. Los Angeles battled back to within one point in the closing seconds before the Warriors put things away. Ball came away with a double-double and three other Lakers scored over 20 (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson).

The Lakers were not suddenly en route to the postseason; that was never what this season was about. It was an announcement that this team was no longer starved of top-end talent, and that the combination of internal growth and coaching had this roster trending in the right direction. For the first time in years, the Lakers truly made it clear they are coming.