LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers played an instant classic against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, with the game extending to double-overtime before the Purple and Gold escaped with the one-point win.

It was a wild back-and-forth between the two teams, with Curry coming up clutch for the Dubs not just once but twice. After sending the game to overtime with a crafty move that fooled Anthony Davis, Curry was back at it again in the second OT when he drained a deep triple to give the Warriors the 144-143 lead with just 4.7 seconds left on the clock.

At that point, it looked like the game was over and the Warriors have the game in the bag. Nonetheless, an untimely foul on James by Draymond Green gave the Lakers a path to victory. LeBron drained the game-winning free-throws, and with just 1.2 second left on the clock, there was just no time for Curry and Co. to get a good shot for the win. Sure, Curry was still able to hoist up a shot in the end, but it was nothing more but a desperation heave.

LeBron James finished with a historic stat line of 36 points and a career-high 20 rebounds along with 12 assists on 56.0 percent shooting. He is the first Laker since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1976 to have 30-20-10 numbers in a game.

As for Stephen Curry, the Warriors sharpshooter was sensational with 46 points, three rebounds and seven assists. He shot 9-of-21 from the 3-point line, including a number of big shots that almost put the Lakers away.

It was definitely an incredible battle, though. And while the Lakers got the 145-144 win, the Warriors deserve plenty of credit as well for fighting back time and time again.

NBA fans hyped over Lakers-Warriors battle

There were naturally plenty of eyes on the Lakers-Warriors game considering how big both franchises are. And with two of the top players in the league today meeting, the anticipation for the showdown was obviously high.

True enough, the battle lived up to its billing, sparking plenty of wild and excited reactions from the fanbase.

“This Lakers-Warriors game has to be the game of the year. Has to be,” Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints wrote.

A fan added, “The Warriors Lakers game was awesome!” Meanwhile, a second commenter said, “This game delivered. Double OT. One of the best games of the season. LeBron vs Steph. Damn!”

“That Warriors/Lakers game was actually insane, playoff intensity, big time shots, LeBron and Steph greatness, Dlo alternating between being the greatest shooter ever and a complete moron – what more can you ask for?” a third supporter furthered.

Another one said, “The Lakers find a way to win in a double overtime thriller against the Warriors as LeBron James hit the game-winning clutch free throws when they needed it the most. LeBron and Steph Curry always give us great battles!!”

Here are more reactions to the game:

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Considering how wild the game was and how big the teams and players involved were, there's no denying that the showdown has everything to be the game of the year. Even better, the Lakers and Warriors have three more games against each other left this 2023-24, and if their first game is any indication, things could only get more intense moving forward.

The Lakers and Warriors have one meeting in each of the next three months, so fans better stay tuned!