Definitely, the Lakers start their playoff series well. After winning Game 1 away from the Grizzlies in the first round, teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis did it again, this time against the Warriors, winning at Chase Center.
And the man of the match was obviously Anthony Davis. The Lakers pivot thus martyred the interior sector of Golden State, leaving no chance for Kevon Looney and Draymond Green. He concluded the meeting with an XXL statistical line of 30 points, 23 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks!
“The guys gave me the ball in the right places” simply told Anthony Davis after the game. “A lot of it is through picks and rolls, post-ups, offensive rebounds. I was aggressive as soon as I caught the ball, I tried to score, I tried to serve my teammates. The playmakers/backs found me very early in the game, which allowed them to play freely afterwards.”.
The Warriors will have to adapt
If Anthony Davis is a problem offensively, he is also defensive, since the Warriors have only very little attacked the circle in the game. Result: they only scored 28 points in the paint against 54 on the Lakers side! Pushed back, Stephen Curry’s teammates chose to shoot from 3-pointers. In this area, of course, they outclassed the Lakers with 21 successful outside shots against only 6 for Los Angeles.
But, when one refuses to attack the circle, and one is less aggressive, it is complicated to cause faults. The Warriors therefore obtained only 6 free throws over the whole match, against 29 for the Lakers: “We have to be more energetic”acknowledged Andrew Wiggins. “Attack the basket more often, be aggressive”.
This problem is not new to Golden State. Indeed, Steve Kerr’s men rank dead last in the league in number of free throws attempted per game during the regular season with only 20.2 attempts. Quite the opposite of the Lakers, the team that goes on the line most often this season with 26.6 attempts per game.
With an interior sector made up of Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Jarred Vanderbilt, access to the circle is complicated for the Warriors. But they will have to find a solution.
“I think we did some good things getting the ball in the paint, but we’re going to have to get used to the presence of Anthony Davis, their size and their wingspan before we can figure out exactly how we’re going to attack. I think Game 1s are great for that reason. You have a first feeling, you observe the problems at the video session and then you can adjust from there” detailed Steve Kerr. “I just think we can play stronger overall. They were the most aggressive team. And with a little more energy, a little more force, I think we have a better chance of attacking the circle and getting to the free throw line..
Anthony Davis intends to remain aggressive
If Golden State will undoubtedly adjust, and prepare a plan to remove Anthony Davis from the basket, the latter does not plan to change the way he plays and intends above all to remain aggressive.
“It will be a different game. They will make adjustments. The room will probably be a little louder. Obviously they don’t want to be down 0-2. The public will be more involved” added Anthony Davis. “I will continue to be aggressive. I know our guys will continue to be aggressive too. We know that Draymond likes the help, so if they decide to put him on me, they will have to find ways for me to be effective while he does his job defensively. But who knows? We’ll see what happens in Game 2 if they make this adjustment. If they don’t, you’ll always have to try to find ways to attack.”.
Game 2 will take place tonight (03:00). A reaction is expected from the side of Golden State, which absolutely must react in front of its public after the defeat of Game 1. As for the Lakers, they have a golden opportunity to return to Los Angeles by leading 2-0 to take control of this conference semi-final.
| Anthony Davis | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2012-13 | NOP | 64 | 29 | 51.6 | 0.0 | 75.1 | 2.6 | 5.6 | 8.2 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 13.5 |
| 2013-14 | NOP | 67 | 35 | 51.9 | 22.2 | 79.1 | 3.1 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 20.8 |
| 2014-15 | NOP | 68 | 36 | 53.5 | 8.3 | 80.5 | 2.5 | 7.7 | 10.2 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 24.4 |
| 2015-16 | NOP | 61 | 36 | 49.3 | 32.4 | 75.8 | 2.1 | 8.2 | 10.3 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 24.3 |
| 2016-17 | NOP | 75 | 36 | 50.5 | 29.9 | 80.2 | 2.3 | 9.5 | 11.8 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 28.0 |
| 2017-18 | NOP | 75 | 36 | 53.4 | 34.0 | 82.8 | 2.5 | 8.6 | 11.1 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 28.1 |
| 2018-19 | NOP | 56 | 33 | 51.7 | 33.1 | 79.4 | 3.1 | 8.9 | 12.0 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 25.9 |
| 2019-20 | ALL | 62 | 34 | 50.3 | 33.0 | 84.6 | 2.3 | 7.0 | 9.3 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 26.1 |
| 2020-21 | ALL | 36 | 32 | 49.1 | 26.0 | 73.8 | 1.7 | 6.2 | 7.9 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 21.8 |
| 2021-22 | ALL | 40 | 35 | 53.2 | 18.6 | 71.3 | 2.7 | 7.2 | 9.9 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 23.2 |
| 2022-23 | ALL | 56 | 34 | 56.3 | 25.7 | 78.4 | 3.5 | 9.1 | 12.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 25.9 |
| Total | 660 | 34 | 51.9 | 30.0 | 79.3 | 2.6 | 7.8 | 10.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 24.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
