LeBron James reflects in 3-words on his 56th duel with Steph Curry during Lakers vs Warriors game

LeBron James of the LA Lakers posted in-game photos of their 123-116 loss against the Golden State Warriors on his Instagram on Friday. The Lakers lost the first game of their back-to-back on Thursday. It was the first time James and his team played against the new-look Warriors that featured Jimmy Butler.

Throughout their careers, James and Steph Curry have played plenty of games against each other. According to Land of Basketball, the future Hall of Famers have played 56 games as opponents. The All-Stars have played 27 games in the regular season, 28 in the playoffs and once in the Play-In Tournament.

Even with the loss, James had an encouraging caption on his IG post.

"Iron Sharpens Iron! 👑" James posted.

James did a lot of heavy lifting against the Warriors. He finished with 33 points, five rebounds and nine assists. The four-time champion also shot 66.7% from the field. His co-star, Luka Doncic, struggled to do damage on the offensive end.

Doncic had 19 points on a 35.3% shooting clip. He also had six attempts from beyond the arc but none fell through. Fortunately for James and the Lakers, guard Austin Reaves stepped up with his 31 points, six rebounds and three assists on 9-for-16 shooting from downtown.

The Lakers may have lost the fourth and final game of their season series with the Warriors. However, they controlled the four-game series with a 3-1 advantage throughout the rest of the 2024-25 NBA season.

LeBron James reflected on the new-look Warriors team

LeBron James knows what it's like to play against the Warriors. Ever since the 2014-15 season, Golden State has had a winning record, often going against James' efforts to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a title.

Throughout their rivalry, the Warriors have changed their roster, even going as far as adding Kevin Durant. After their loss on Thursday, James told the media that it isn't new for him to see his rival team make significant changes to remain competitive.

This season, the Warriors added Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline. With his addition, Golden State was rejuvenated and are now getting ready for the playoffs.

“I’ve been a part of them making big acquisitions that changed the dynamic of their team before,” James said. “I’ve had to go against them when they added Kevin Durant. Jimmy Butler’s great, he adds a toughness to them, he adds a championship DNA type of guy. It’s always the same, they always figure it out, they always add someone that makes them dynamic."

James added that it's always a challenge to face the Warriors. However, the Lakers had a significant change to their roster as well. They traded for Doncic, a generational player who they believe could give them a championship in the future.