SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — LeBron James no longer has to do it all against Stephen Curry in crunch time, not even close. Anthony Davis takes care of the center and eliminates the easy options inside. Denis Schröder has the energy to help chase the number 30 all over the court. D’Angelo Russell can hit an important basket with a hand to his face.
It’s what these new Lakers have. They take a lot of pressure off the game’s leading scorer, and LeBron believes in them, even against the defending champions on a 14-0 run and the roar of their home crowd.
Davis billed 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks, James added 22 points and 11 captured balls in front of the boards, in a new duel against Stephen Curry in the postseason, and the Los Angeles Lakers resisted a late comeback attempt by of the Golden State Warriors and beat them 117-112 in the first game of the Western Conference semifinals.
“We’ve been playing postseason basketball for two and a half months just to be able to play in the postseason now,” James said. “Tonight we were very resilient (…) We know how great they are on their court, so resisting that is another good step for us.”
Jordan Poole missed a 3-point attempt that would have tied the entertaining game with 9.7 seconds remaining. Thus, the reaction of the Warriors was insufficient.
Curry’s 3-pointer with 1:38 remaining tied the game. Russell responded immediately, and Davis blocked a Curry shot moments later.
James missed the first of two free throws with 1:05 left.
Poole’s 3-pointer with 2:48 remaining cut the Lakers’ lead to 112-109, and James committed a foul with 1:53 remaining.
James, the greatest scorer in NBA history, and Curry, the absolute leader in triples, thus began the new episode of their long rivalry. They met in four consecutive league Finals, from 2015-18, when James was playing in Cleveland.
Curry scored 27 points, Klay Thompson added 25 and Kevon Looney grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds while contributing 10 points and five assists.
Thompson hit a 3-pointer with 5:19 remaining to cut Los Angeles’ lead to 112-104.
The Warriors, the defending NBA champions, will try to tie the series on Thursday, in Game 2, again at the Chase Center. Despite being visitors, the Lakers heard cheering choruses after the final honk.
2023-05-03 05:28:47
#Davis #James #Lakers #hit #series #Warriors
