"Once they stopped meandering here and there, and they started to play with a sense of purpose, the Lakers suddenly appeared capable of defeating the Golden State Warriors on Friday night at Staples Center.

Once they began to handle the ball as if it mattered, and they started making shots they usually make, they produced a superb ending to the third quarter en route to a 97-90 victory as a sellout crowd of 18,997 exhaled in relief.

The Lakers led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter before things got tight and the Warriors crept within four points inside the final minute.

The Lakers refused to give away the game and won for the fifth time in nine contests to start 2011-12.

"This game was really simple. It was really ugly," coach Mike Brown said, cracking a smile after the Lakers rebounded from Thursday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. "It was one of those games we needed to win, so we found a way to win."

There's no question these are unpredictable times for the Lakers, who are trying to learn new offensive and defensive schemes on the fly from their new coach while their best player continues to suffer from a debilitating wrist injury."