Davis was dominant on both ends as the Lakers took a 2-1 series lead
By Sam Quinn
• 1 min read
The Golden State Warriors blew the Los Angeles Lakers out in Game 2 of their second-round series. The Lakers returned the favor on Saturday with a thumping of their own. After falling behind 30-23 in the first quarter, the Lakers won the second and third quarters by a combined margin of 63-38. That allowed them to rest their starters for most of the fourth quarter and walk away with a comfortable 127-97 victory. They now lead the series 2-1.
Anthony Davis led the way for the Lakers. He scored 25 points in the win, but it was his relentless defense that really won Los Angeles the game. Davis helped hold the Warriors to their fewest points of the postseason by making it almost impossible for Golden State to score at the basket. The Lakers also got 21 first-half points out of D'Angelo Russell and another 21 points out of LeBron James after he failed to even attempt a shot in the first quarter for the first time in his playoff career.
Now all of the pressure is on the Warriors. On Monday, they'll attempt to tie this series at 2-2, and if they don't, they'll face a 3-1 deficit at the hands of a player in LeBron James who once overcame such a lead to defeat them in the 2016 Finals. Considering their 11-30 road record this season and the Lakers' 4-0 home record in the playoffs, the odds will certainly be against them. Here are the biggest takeaways from Game 3:
Dominant Davis
A particularly strange and frustrating trend has emerged for Anthony Davis this postseason. In odd-numbered games in their two playoff series, he has been spectacular. In Games 1, 3 and 5 against the Grizzlies and Game 1 against the Warriors, Davis averaged 28.5 points and 17.8 rebounds per game. However, in Games 2, 4 and 6 against the Grizzlies and Game 2 against the Warriors, he averaged 13 points and 10.3 rebounds. The "every other Davis" nickname has largely held true in the 2023 playoffs.
Fortunately for the Lakers, they got odd-numbered Davis on Saturday. His 25 points and 13 boards don't tell the story of his performance in this game. Davis, playing largely help defense by starting the game on JaMychal Green, was everywhere defensively. Though he gave up a few 3-pointers early on playing high-drop coverage, the Warriors managed just 38 total points in the second and third quarters because Davis was covering so much ground. Through eight playoff games, Davis now has 37 total blocks.
And now comes the frustrating part. The Lakers play again in two days. It is an even-numbered game. Perhaps getting most of the fourth quarter off will leave Davis enough energy to match his Game 3 performance in Game 4. The Lakers will need him to. Their best chance of winning this series will be simply taking care of business at home. They are undefeated in Los Angeles this postseason, and the Warriors are among the NBA's best home teams. The Lakers need him at his best on Monday, but getting him there would buck one of the NBA's most bizarre trends.
The right Russell
The phrase "Russell saves the Lakers" would have been unthinkable in October or November, when Russell Westbrook was shooting the Lakers out of games on a laughably thin roster. In February, the Lakers swapped one Russell for another. D'Angelo Russell played well for the Lakers down the stretch, but his playoff history left plenty to be desired at the time. He shot below 35% in his first two trips to the postseason, and then struggled in the first three games against the Grizzlies. He's been money ever since.
Russell made three of the biggest 3-pointers of his career in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the Memphis series. He scored a playoff career-high of 31 points in Game 6 to finish Memphis off, and has functioned as perhaps the highest-usage point guard LeBron James has ever played with aside from Westbrook lately as the foot injury James is still recovering from has prevented him handling the ball as much as he was earlier in the season.
Russell didn't score in the second half of Game 3. He didn't need to. When the Lakers couldn't hit the side of a barn in the first half, Russell kept them alive. He scored their first 11 points and 21 of their first 51 overall. As impressive as the Lakers were once they flipped the momentum in the second quarter, that never would have happened without Russell's early scoring. Without him, they're down 15-20 points and the game is over before it really begins.
Russell's stock had taken a major hit by the time he returned to the Lakers. Minnesota needed minimal compensation to swap him for the 35-year-old Mike Conley. He can be inconsistent and his weakness as an on-ball defender has been picked at this postseason. But the Lakers acquired Russell to serve as a high-usage scorer that could function on or off of the ball. He has more than delivered this postseason, and his confidence is seemingly growing with each passing game. The Lakers trust him to take five shots in the first four minutes of games, and he's comfortable enough in his role to make most of them.
Where are the whistles?
The raw free throw numbers in this series are eye-popping. The Lakers have taken 83 free throws. The Warriors have taken 39. Now, there is important context to consider here:
- The Lakers attempted the most free-throws per game this season (26.6) and they allowed the fewest for their opponents (20.8).
- The Warriors allowed the sixth-most free throws per game this season (25.2) and took the fewest (20.2).
- The Lakers have spent the season barreling towards the basket. The Warriors, deterred by Davis, have relied more heavily on 3-pointers. Golden State has taken 139 3's and the Lakers have taken just 90.
Still, it's highly unusual for one team to attempt twice as many free throws as its opponent across the first three games of a playoff series. That isn't necessarily an indictment of the officials, and in a series featuring two enormous markets, only the most ardent conspiracists could really cry (figurative) foul.
Instead, it's incumbent upon the Warriors how to get to the line a bit themselves. The Lakers are right in line with their season-long free-throw average. The Warriors just haven't been able to draw fouls themselves with Davis all but sealing off the basket. If they can't find a way to open up the paint a little bit, they are going to be in major trouble for the rest of this series.
