EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Lakers needed a game like this.

They had fun on offense, clamped down on defense, and made life plenty miserable for the Golden State Warriors in a breezy 128-97 victory Monday at Chase Center.

The Warriors lead the league in assists but it was the Lakers who passed their way to victory. They had 19 assists in the first half and finished with a season-high 36, well above their middle-of-the-pack average of 24.

LeBron James had 22 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in an efficient 30 minutes before taking a seat for good near the midpoint of the fourth quarter. He now has 98 career triple-doubles, fifth on the NBA's all-time list.

Talen Horton-Tucker had a career-high 10 assists (along with 18 points) as the Lakers’ reserves made a massive impact.

Montrezl Harrell dominated down low and scored 27 points, a season-high (of course) as the Lakers’ backups outscored those of the Warriors, 71-41.

Kyle Kuzma scored 17 points off the bench and added four assists after a self-critique before the game that his passing was “a work in progress.” Not on Monday.

The Lakers shot a season-high 62.8%, a good way to start a busy week that includes two sets of back-to-backs. They return home to play Minnesota on Tuesday and take a quick breath before hosting Charlotte on Thursday. Then comes consecutive games against Atlanta on Saturday and in Phoenix on Sunday.

It was almost easy to forget the Lakers were short-handed. Four players sat out for them — Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol, Alex Caruso, and Jared Dudley. It wouldn’t be surprising if all four missed Tuesday’s game.

The Warriors (20-20) did an about-face after scoring 131 points in a victory over Utah the previous night. Stephen Curry scored 27 points against the Lakers and set the Warriors’ all-time assist record but that was it for good news for Golden State.