Despite their Game 7 against Sacramento two days earlier, the Warriors push the pace and take the lead behind 10 points from Klay Thompson (21-17). After missing seven of their first eight shots, the Lakers apply to serve Anthony Davis and his 14 points carry the Lakers. Despite the good defense of Los Angeles, 10 points from Stephen Curry keep the Warriors in front (31-29).
Like Dennis Schroder on Stephen Curry, the Lakers defense imposed its pace little by little and Davis continued his work on the other side (48-44). It’s Jordan Poole who wakes up the Warriors. The Warriors’ sixth man uses the Lakers’ aggression against them to find his shots. He scores three 3-pointers in a row, Thompson adds a fourth, and Golden State takes the lead (56-53). Schroeder and LeBron James then systematically attack Jordan Poole and live on free throws to enter the locker room at +1 (65-64).
Upon returning from the locker room, sixteen points from the D’Angelo Russell – Austin Reaves pair and a still intractable defense launched a 21-12 Lakers (86-76)! After their 1/8 three-pointer in the first half, the Lakers go 4/9 in the third quarter to keep Golden State at bay. Mired in the opposing defense, the Warriors end the period at 10/26 on shots and begin the last twelve minutes blocked at -8 (96-88).
A 14-0 to revive the suspense
The Poole – Curry pair pushed at the start of the fourth period but an offensive foul caused by Austin Reaves and a relatively easy missed shot for Stephen Curry allowed LeBron James and the Lakers to respond with an 11-3 to extend the gap to + 14 (112-98). Back to the wall, the “Splash Brothers” and Jordan Poole respond with a 14-0 in three minutes and a half to return to equality (112-112)!
With less than two minutes to play, D’Angelo Russell comes to stop the bleeding. LeBron James adds a free throw and Jordan Poole misses the equalizer ball by taking a quick shot from 10 yards. The Lakers therefore logically recover the advantage of the field and put the Warriors back to the wall before Game 2 on the night of Thursday to Friday.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— JaMychal Green enters the Warriors rotation. We expected Steve Kerr to open his bench after the long series against Sacramento. He did but instead of giving Jonathan Kuminga a chance, it was JaMychal Green who came to blow Kevon Looney up. The interior, which the Lakers left open, hit the mark twice but showed its limits in defense and rebound. He didn’t play in the second half.
— The rigorous and intractable Lakers defense. In the three games after the trade deadline, the Lakers had used an effective game plan against the Warriors. Push their shooters back to the racket and Anthony Davis by preventing them from taking screens, while ignoring non-shooters to close the gaps. This strategy slowed the movement of the Warriors and forced them to take tough shots the entire game. Jarred Vanderbilt did a great job on Stephen Curry, following him everywhere and limiting him to 10/24 on shots. The Warriors finished the second quarter at 11/26 on shots, and the third at 10/26! They found more success in the final quarter playing with Draymond Green at pivot.
— The construction site of Anthony Davis symbolic of the advantage of the Lakers. Behind Anthony Davis’ 30 points and 23 rebounds lies the key to this series. The Lakers are dominant inside and that allows them to get free throws regularly. The Warriors are more dexterous but will struggle in the racket against the size of their opponent. During this Game 1, the strengths and weaknesses of each team were highlighted. Los Angeles finished at +26 in the key (54 to 28), and +20 in free throws (25/29 against 5/6) while the Warriors finished at +45 from 3-pointers (21/53 against 6 /25)! And despite 14 fewer shots for the Lakers, their success percentage in the key (58%) made the difference.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Anthony Davis. Aggressive from the first minutes of the match, Davis walked on the Warriors’ not enough physical defense. He finished with 30 points on 11/17 shooting, 23 rebounds, and 5 assists. He also added 4 blocks playing his scarecrow role in the key.
✅ LeBron James. Clumsy (22 points at 9/24 on shots), James still had an impact on the match. He took 11 rebounds, delivered 5 assists, and put 3 blocks to participate in the great defensive performance of his team.
✅ D’Angelo Russell & Dennis Schroder. The two leaders held off the Splash Brothers, scoring 19 points each. Russell’s awakening in the third quarter turned the game around.
✅ Kevon Looney. If the pivot of the Warriors was in difficulty against Anthony Davis, he still signed a monstrous game, finishing with 10 points, 5 assists, and 23 rebounds. This is a new career record for him and his 4th game with more than 20 rebounds in eight playoff games this season!
✅ Jordan Poole. Even though he missed the shot that could have sent the game into overtime, Poole had his best game of the playoffs. He scored 21 points, 6/11 from 3-pointers and distributed 6 assists.
⛔ ✅ Klay Thompson. Thompson scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half, before disappearing from circulation in the second half, limited 2/11 on shots.
⛔ Stephen Curry. The double MVP saved his game with 14 of his 27 points in the last quarter, but he showed a lack of rigor during the first three quarters, impaling himself repeatedly in the defense of the Lakers. He was at 5/14 after three quarters with 4 lost balls. (5/10 and 1 ball lost in the last quarter).
THE FOLLOWING
Game 2 in Golden State on the night of Thursday to Friday (03:00).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
