SAN FRANCISCO, CA — In a game that felt like prime March Madness, the Los Angeles Lakers survived a furious comeback attempt by the Golden State Warriors in the final minutes of Game 1 during Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs. Anthony Davis showed his physicality as he dropped 30 points and 23 rebounds.
Jordan Poole missed the game-tying 3-pointer with 9.7 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter. The Warriors lived by the three and died by the three in Game 1. Golden State shot 53 3-pointers during the contest making 21 of them. They had no answer for the Lakers in the paint as Los Angeles outscored them 54-28.
Lebron James struggled from the field, only making 9-24 shots and 22 points. However, he still made his presence felt with 11 rebounds and four blocks. Steph Curry had 27 points, while Klay Thompson added 25 points.
The defending champion Warriors will try and even up the series on Thursday, May 3, at the Chase Center in San Francisco at 8 p.m.
The Lakers dominated inside from start to finish on Tuesday night. No one could match Davis’s physicality to the rim. Even players like Dennis Schroder and D’angelo Russel find easy baskets inside. The Warriors must figure things out defensively if they want to even the series. On offense, Golden State cannot only rely on the 3-point shot to keep them in the game. While it is their greatest strength, they can’t stay hot forever.
The Lakers played physically and need to keep their game moving in that direction. Over the past few weeks, Los Angeles has had a fire lit underneath them, and they are playing the most complete basketball they’ve played all season.
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