Lakers Recover From Furious Warriors Rally for Game 1 Upset
Heading into the highly anticipated second-round matchup between the Lakers and Warriors, the hype centered around yet another postseason meeting between two all-time greats in LeBron James and Stephen Curry. When the final whistle sounded at Chase Center on Tuesday night, though, it was big man Anthony Davis who stole the show.
Davis erupted for 30 points and 23 rebounds—both game highs—to spearhead a 117–112 Los Angeles victory, stealing home court advantage from the defending champions.
James finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, while Curry had a team-high 27 points on 10-for-24 shooting from the field.
Los Angeles led by one at halftime and opened up a 14-point lead with just under six minutes left in the game when Golden State mounted a rally, holding the Lakers scoreless for the next four minutes and eventually tying the score on a Curry three-pointer with 1:38 remaining. The Lakers closed out the game on a 5–0 run from there, getting the go-ahead bucket from D’Angelo Russell on the ensuing possession. After tying the game, the Warriors missed on their final four shot attempts of the game, including an ambitious long-range attempt from Jordan Poole with 10 seconds left.
The Lakers dominated in the paint for the first half but hit just one three-pointer, while the Warriors connected on 13 shots from deep. Los Angeles shot 25-for-29 from the free throw line, while Golden State made five free throws on just six attempts.
Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET in San Francisco.