In the absence of LeBron James, it's Anthony Davis who tries to hold his own against Stephen Curry. Davis scores 13 points, grabs 6 rebounds, and blocks two shots in the first quarter while Curry scores 16 points at 4/5 3-pointers to give the Warriors the advantage (31-28).
While the Golden State star blows, his teammates thwart. The ball losses continue, the defense takes on water, and Taurean Prince and Jaxon Hayes put the Lakers at +4 (42-38). The only positive point for the Warriors, the Klay Thompson – Trayce Jackson-Davis connection (17 points) avoids damage. The rookie scored 13 points before the Stephen Curry – Brandin Podziemski duo ended the half with a 17-5 (67-56)!
Kuminga's tap dance
Despite all the efforts of Anthony Davis (27 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks), a 12-4 from Golden State led by Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins (20 points) brings the gap to 17 units (86-69). Austin Reaves (16 points) and the Lakers responded with an 11-3 but the first basket from Klay Thompson and a tap at the buzzer from Jonathan Kuminga put Los Angeles back against the wall (98-82).
D'Angelo Russell (18 points, 9 assists) attempts a last stand but once in a while the Warriors do not collapse in the last quarter. They finish the job and win their 10th victory in the last twelve matches!
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Stephen Curry still hot. Ebullient before and during the All Star Game weekend, the Warriors leader set the tone from the first minutes of the match. 16 points in the first quarter, 25 at halftime on 9/12 shots and 5/7 3-pointers, Curry put the Warriors on the right track and they pulled away once his teammates got into tune.
– Anthony Davis lonely and targeted. Without LeBron James, Anthony Davis tried everything to keep the Lakers in the game. He responded to Curry's fury while standing up during the match and for a long time protected his team's circle brilliantly. Little by little, however, the All-Star lost his energy as he was forced by the Warriors' attack to defend multiple actions. Whether on pick and rolls with Stephen Curry, on screens away from the ball, Steve Kerr's attack put Davis at the center of each action to wear him out. This strategy worked.
– Klay Thompson and Trayce Jackson-Davis shine. For his second match coming off the bench, Klay Thompson finished the match at 1/9 on shots, not very brilliant… unless we look at his way of playing as a team. Despite his clumsiness, Thompson didn't force it, he stayed in the Warriors' offense and used the fear of his wrist to free his teammates. His five assists found Trayce Jackson-Davis diving at the rim after two Lakers came out on him. The Warriors rookie gorged himself throughout the match, scoring 17 points at 8/10 on shots.
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
