The Los Angeles Lakers stunned the Chase Center crowd in San Francisco on Tuesday with a 117-112 series opening win over the Golden State Warriors. What made it even more incredible is the manner in which the Lakers were able to pull it out.
The Lakers outshot the Warriors from the field by a total of 46.7 percent to 40.6 percent. They utilized their superior size to swat 10 shots in the game. With the win, the Lakers are looking increasingly title-worthy, as Anthony Davis so eloquently described.
Golden State knocked down 21 threes on the night compared to the Lakers’ six. That usually spells doom for Steve Kerr and company’s opponents, but the Lakers beat the odds to take a 1-0 series lead.
The Warriors made 15 more threes than the Lakers and lost.
They were previously 13-0 in franchise history when making 15 more threes than their opponent, winning those games by an average of 22.6 PPG. pic.twitter.com/8gnFtXnxDQ
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 3, 2023
LeBron James and Anthony Davis made life miserable for Stephen Curry and the rest of the Warriors in the paint. The talented duo’s shot-blocking prowess reached a level perhaps not seen since their 2020 “bubble championship” days.
James and Davis charted new territory among NBA teammates. They became the first to record 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks each in the same playoff game for the first time since blocks were record as a stat in the 1973-1974 season.
The stage now shifts to Thursday night’s game in the Bay Area, which begins at 9 p.m. ET. Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell knows the Warriors are never out of the game because of their ability to knock down the three ball like no other team in basketball history.
“That team’s dangerous,” Russell said.
“They shoot a lot of 3s, a lot of 3s can get you back in the game when you’re down by a few possessions.
“Knowing that they can explode at any time and get themselves back within one point or a one-possession game, whatever it may be, knowing that, every possession matters.”
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