By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Following a pretty balanced Game 1 and an imposing win by Golden State in Game 2, the Los Angeles Lakers took back the advantage in the best-of-seven series against the reigning champions, convincingly winning 127-97, and putting themselves up 2-1.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the home side to the victory. The former went close to a triple-double with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, while the latter put up a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds. The two respectively shot 7/8 and 11/12 from the free throw line. Dennis Schroder had 12 points in 20 minutes of playing time coming off the bench.
“We’re one of the best defensive teams in the league, if not the best. For us to reach our potential, we have to defend at a high level. Not one team in this league tests you more in that than Golden State, so we have to be alert for a test on every single possession”, LeBron James added in the post-game press conference.
The Chosen One also spent a moment to congratulate his son Bronny James following his commitment to the University of South California. “Congratulations to my son on his next journey and picking a great university in USC. I’m proud of him. This is an incredible thing… To my knowledge, this is the first one out of the James Gang to go to college”, the 38-year-old said.
On the losing side, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 38 points, both shooting roughly from the field. Golden State’s leader had 9/21, while Klay shot 5/14 with 3/9 from beyond the arc. “As ugly as this was tonight, we have an opportunity to respond on Monday, so there’s no point in dwelling on it and hanging our heads and getting discouraged. We know how to respond. We’ve done it in our existence for 10 years here”, the latter commented.
“We had 26 assists and 19 turnovers, That’s criminal. Those 19 turnovers turned into 27 points. They shot 20 more free throws than we did. So if you put all those numbers together, this was a Lakers game”, Steve Kerr commented following his team’s loss.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images