Lakers Final Score: Anthony Davis Paces LA To Surprise Game 1 Win Over Warriors
On Tuesday night, your Los Angeles Lakers managed to steal home court advantage from the higher-seeded Golden State Warriors during the opening game of their Western Conference Semifinal matchup. Powered by an eye-popping night from star center Anthony Davis, who feasted on a slow, undersized Golden State front line, LA won 117-112 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The game provided a fascinating study in contrasts. Even despite trading for better three-point shooting in the days and weeks leading up to the NBA trade deadline earlier this season, Los Angeles remains an inside-out team, focused on packing the paint more than raining treys. The Lakers do most of their damage with interior scoring and take more foul shots than any other club in the league. Golden State, by contrast, is a three-point shooting juggernaut, predicated on the high-scoring histrionics of future Hall of Fame sharpshooters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, plus fellow floor spacing wings Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole.
LA knew where its bread was buttered early, feeding Anthony Davis for 14 quick points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor in the first quarter. Thompson, Curry and Wiggins paced Golden State in the first quarter with a flurry of jumpers. At the end of the period, Golden State, just barely, 31-29.
In the second quarter, the Lakers enjoyed a slight scoring edge, sparked in large part by a very active run from reserve point guard Dennis Schroder, who logged 11 points off the bench while shooting 3-of-6 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Davis and LeBron James combined for 17 points in that frame. LA outscored Golden State 36-33 to take a one-point lead at the break, 65-64. Davis had already scored a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double. Klay Thompson led all Warriors with 18 points through the break.
The third quarter is typically when Golden State really gets cooking. Instead, LA outscored the Warriors more than ever, by seven points, 31-24, to build up a 96-88 lead heading into the final frame.
Los Angeles built up a 14-point lead midway through the fourth period, thanks to LeBron James, Schroder, and a surprising offensive burst from starting power forward Jarred Vanderbilt.
That's when things got dicey for LA, as Golden State went on a 14-0 run over the ensuing four minutes to knot up the game, 112-112, with 1:38 remaining in regulation. A D'Angelo Russell driving layup proved to be the final field goal of the night, as LA's stingy defense on Curry inside and some knuckle headed long range misses from Jordan Poole doomed the Dubs late.
A lot of the credit to Tuesday's upset win should go to LA's staunch defense. Anthony Davis was an athletic menace in the paint, albeit with the foot speed and hops to challenge jump-shooting wings on switches. Despite Warriors center Kevon Looney matching his rebounding output (23 boards apiece!), Looney lacks Davis' speed or verticality, which became evident as the night wore on.
Vanderbilt, the Lakers' 6'9" starting four, took on an unsexy task, but he performed with aplomb. Head coach Darvin Ham stuck Vanderbilt onto Stephen Curry as the All-Star point guard's primary defender throughout the night (Dennis Schroder took over whenever Vanderbilt sat). He kept Curry out of the paint for much of the night, and the two-time MVP had to work for his 27 points, which he achieved while shooting a mediocre 10-of-24 from the field.
Ham also elected to ensure that James was almost always on the floor when Curry was, as both players demand so match gravity from opposing defenses when they're in a lineup.
The difference between the Warriors and Lakers' shot profiles was stark. Golden State took 14 more field goals than LA (106-92), and a whopping 28 more triples. The Warriors shot 21-of-53 from long range, while LA went just 6-of-25 from three-point land. Los Angeles sported a massive edge in free throws. The Lakers went 25-of-29 from the foul line, while the Dubs shot just 5-of-6. A lot of that difference stems from LA nabbing 54 of its points in the paint, compared to just 28 for Golden State.
Davis was handily the best player on the floor for Game 1, finishing with 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 shooting from the foul line, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in 43:50. James notched a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double but frequently settled for shaky jumpers (he went 1-of-8 from deep, continuing a worrisome downward spiral when it comes to his three-point tries this postseason).
Russell and Schroder proved to be the Lakers' other standouts, scoring 19 points apiece, in 31+ minutes each. Surprisingly, Darvin Ham added Troy Brown Jr. back into his rotation after cutting him loose near the end of the Grizzlies series, presumably for added wing help against the Warriors' vast array of shooters.
Game 2 kicks off tonight in Golden State. LA did what it needed to do in stealing one home game, but what's wrong with getting a little greedy and trying to steal 'em both to start the series?
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