Klay Thompson’s 36 tows Golden State Warriors over Los Angeles Lakers

Klay Thompson was on fire early scoring 22 points in the opening quarter and set up the eventual blowout of the Los Angeles Lakers, 109-88 on Tuesday (Wednesday in Australia).

Thompson finished 12-of-22 from the field and was 6-of-12 from the three-point line for the Warriors, which built leads of 37-25 after the first quarter and 62-47 after the first half to cruise to their 33rd victory of the season.

Superstar Stephen Curry settled for 17 points and 6 assists on this night but it didn’t matter against the lowly Lakers, which shot just 29-of-91 from the field, or at 31.9 percent. Los Angeles was also 5-of-21 from behind the arc or 23.8 percent.

The pair had their rest in the fourth quarter as bench players Marreese Speights and Harrison Barnes finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Draymond Green just missed out on double-double with 9 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. Curry suffered a leg injury near the end of the third quarter and did not play in the fourth quarter.

The lone bright spot for the Lakers was Jordan Clarkson, who had 23 points and 5 rebounds. Los Angeles, which was without veteran Kobe Bryant, had a three-game winning streak snapped.

After a 114-91 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 30, the Warriors are building another streak, winning four in a row including close victories over the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets.

Golden State continues a three-game road trip with games against the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings in their next two games. Meanwhile, the Lakers play at the Sacramento Kings in their next game before hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans.