LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 6: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts as he looks at the score board at the end of the first quarter against Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center March 6, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Entering Sunday, the Warriors were 55-5 and in reach of the best record in NBA history. The Lakers, meanwhile, stood 12-51, a whopping 44.5 games behind Golden State in the Western Conference, and with only the No. 1 overall pick to play for.

So naturally, the Lakers crushed the Warriors 112-95 Sunday afternoon at Staples Center. This is the largest upset in NBA history, in terms of difference in winning percentage:

How did this happen? Well, the Warriors’ loss comes amidst reports that players stayed out too late in Los Angeles on Saturday night, so that could have had an effect on their play.

It certainly doesn’t help when the two best long-range shooters in the NBA do this, either:

Though the extent of this upset is unprecedented, there’s some history of great teams losing late in the season on Sunday afternoons after Saturday off days, perhaps after having too much fun the night before.

https://twitter.com/teamziller/status/706613633342570496

https://twitter.com/teamziller/status/706613869825757184

Sunday’s game is a blow to Golden State’s hopes of setting the NBA single-season wins record. They’ll now have to go 18-3 the rest of the way to best the mark set by the 1996 Chicago Bulls.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are in a race of their own, for ping-pong balls that can help secure them the No. 1 overall pick in June’s draft. It would take a miracle for L.A. to pass Philadelphia for the league’s worst record, but the Lakers are only four games up (down?) on Phoenix for second-worst, and if they keep playing like they did Sunday, they’ll play their way into a (likely) worse pick.

https://twitter.com/HPbasketball/status/706613773910429696

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.

View all posts by Alex Putterman