Bay Area Breakdown

ESPN.com: OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Jason Richardson used to hate it when Lakers fans outnumbered those for Golden State in the Warriors’ home arena. It happened with other teams, too — Boston, New York and Sacramento.

Slowly, with each impressive win, the fans are starting to believe again in professional basketball in Oakland.

Baron Davis had 24 points and 13 assists and Golden State sent Los Angeles to its fifth straight defeat with one of the Warriors’ biggest victories over the Lakers, 126-99 on Monday night.

Kobe Bryant scored 22 points, finishing three shy of becoming the 15th player to reach 14,000 points. He will almost certainly become the youngest to do it Wednesday at Portland. Bryant would be 26 years and 240 days, while Michael Jordan reached 14,000 at 27 years, 68 days.

Bryant had six rebounds and five assists but also committed six turnovers.

“It’s been a tough experience, a humbling experience, but it’s character-building,” Bryant said.

Mickael Pietrus scored 25 points, Troy Murphy added 19 points, nine rebounds and a season-high six assists and Jason Richardson had 17 points for the Warriors, who won for the first time in four meetings this season against the Lakers.

“They couldn’t sweep us, that was the main thing,” Warriors forward Mike Dunleavy said.

Jumaine Jones had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, hitting four 3-pointers.

“It’s embarrassing, man,” Jones said. “I can’t speak for anybody else, but I was embarrassed. We weren’t guarding anybody. What do you expect when you’re shooting all jumpers and not guarding anybody? You should expect you’ll be down by 40.”

The Lakers trailed by as many as 40 points, their largest deficit this season, and lost for the 10th time in 11 games and 18th in 20. It’s hard to believe this team played for the NBA title less than a year ago.

Even Bryant, booed each time he touched the ball, seemed uncomfortable. He forced shots at times and never found his rhythm with Richardson guarding him much of the night. He pulled his uniform over his mouth late in the third quarter and yelled an obscenity at the officials, immediately receiving a technical.

The Lakers played without forward Caron Butler and center Vlade Divac. Butler flew home to Southern California after his 1-year-old daughter, Mia, had an asthma attack.

Butler took the same flight as Divac, suspended earlier in the day for the final two games after he floored Dallas Mavericks center Shawn Bradley with an elbow to the jaw early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 114-112 loss.

It’s unclear whether Butler will be back for Wednesday’s season finale against Portland.

The Warriors’ biggest win over the Lakers was by 39, 132-93 on Nov. 11, 1966.

As the Lakers approach the final game of the year against the Blazers, what are your reflections on this past season? What type of effort did you think the Lakers put forth in such a humiliating loss? Sound off in the CL.com Forums!