Anthony Davis on Tuesday led a defensive masterclass as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 117-112 on the road to take a 1-0 lead in their NBA Western Conference playoff series.
The eagerly anticipated showdown between the two Californian glamor clubs lived up to the billing as the Lakers held off a thrilling late Golden State rally to take a crucial early advantage against the NBA champions in the best-of-seven series.
The Lakers appeared to be cruising to victory after opening up a 14-point lead with less than 6 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter after a clinical defensive performance at San Francisco’s Chase Center.
Photo: AP
However, the Warriors came roaring back with a flurry of three-pointers and Stephen Curry knotted the score at 112-112 to complete a 14-0 Golden State run with 1 minute, 38 seconds remaining.
Yet just when it looked as if the Warriors were building unstoppable momentum, the Lakers regrouped to snatch victory. A D’Angelo Russell layup edged them back in front at 114-112 before a LeBron James free throw increased the Lakers lead to three.
Jordan Poole then missed a game-tying 27-foot three-point effort with 9.7 seconds left on the clock before the Lakers drew two free throws for German international Dennis Schroder to make the game safe.
“We know this team — they’re the defending champions. No lead is safe against them, they can get hot at any moment, but this is just a mindset for our team, knowing we can beat this team, it’s a confidence-booster for us,” Davis said of the Warriors.
“We’ve been able to get this one in Game 1, but we haven’t done anything yet,” he added.
Davis finished with 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks, while James chipped in with 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
Russell and Schroder added 19 points each, while Austin Reaves finished with 10.
However, it was Davis’s all-round performance that stole the show for the Lakers, with the 2.08m eight-time All-Star marshaling an immense defensive effort.
“He’s an elite defender,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “He’s doing exactly what I anticipated him to do. He’s playing like one of the top five NBA players that he is.”
Yet Ham was quick to bring his team back to earth after a gripping win.
“The biggest thing for us is not to get too happy, to stay humble and respect our opponent, but also know there is a tonne of work left,” he said.
Curry led the Golden State scoring with 27 points, including six three-pointers, while Klay Thompson had 25, also with six from beyond the arc.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said his team had finished stronger, but just could not “get over the hump.”
“I thought we were the fresher team down the stretch — you saw the run we made,” Kerr said. “We were right there. We gave it a great fight. Just couldn’t get over the hump. So we’ll be ready for Game 2.”
Game 2 in the series takes place in San Francisco today.
In Tuesday’s other playoff game, Jalen Brunson scored 30 points as the New York Knicks defeated the Miami Heat 111-105 to square their Eastern Conference playoff semi-final series at 1-1.
Brunson shot 10 of 19 from the field, including six from three-point range, as the Knicks finally overpowered a gutsy Miami lineup playing without injured talisman Jimmy Butler.
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