The Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors are two historic franchises that are no strangers to the big stage and have 24 championships between them. Both rosters are filled with stars, so if you expected some Game 1 jitters and vacillations then you were dead wrong.
The most anticipated series of the second round of the NBA Playoffs opened up with a bang on Tuesday night as LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the Lakers to a thrilling 117-112 victory in Game 1 over the Warriors in an intense back-and-forth match that lived up to the hype.
Davis dominated the defending champions with 30 points, 23 rebounds, and four blocks. James added 22 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in the scintillating victory that stole home-court advantage away from the Warriors.
"We are very resilient. We've been playing playoff basketball for two and a half months now just to punch our clock into the postseason," said LeBron of the Game 1 victory on the road. "Tonight, versus a team like Golden State, they're the defending champions and we know how great they are on their home court over the years. To withstand that, it's another step for our ball club."
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The Lakers are seeking a record-breaking 18th NBA title, and the Warriors are looking for their fifth title in nine years. The familiar foes both stand in the way of each other's dreams.
Since 2010, there has only been one NBA Finals that did not include LeBron James or Steph Curry. They went head-to-head in four straight championships between 2015-18 with Curry and the Warriors besting LeBron and the Cavaliers three out of those four years.
"You have to reflect on everything we've all gone through since the 2015 NBA Finals and just appreciate the opportunity to have another chapter in that battle and that competition," said Curry of the rivalry with James. "It's a little different vibe, but there is a reflection of just how awesome and special this battle is. The fact that we get to do it again, obviously we want to come out on top and it's going to be a fun series all the way around, but there is a moment of reflection on how cool this is all these years later."
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LeBron agreed.
"I've got a lot of history and a lot of battles against these guys," said James. "That Warriors, that 'GS," and those colors hasn't changed. My focus and respect for them hasn't changed as well. It's just an honor to be able to play this game at a high level, play with other great players and be a part of something that's historic and something that will last a lot longer than we are here today."
Game 1 had an electric atmosphere from tipoff to the final buzzer, with thousands of fans on their feet at the NBA's newest arena, the Chase Center, which opened in 2019.
The two teams blew the roof off the arena early as the two heavyweights went blow-for-blow right from the start. Staying with the boxing analogy, if styles make fights, the Lakers and Warriors have two completely different styles.
Golden State wasted no time executing their strategy on offense of threes, threes, and more threes! The Warriors made a franchise record 13 three-pointers in the first half and finished the game with 21 from beyond the arc.
But the Lakers dominated the paint and got to the free throw line with regularity. Los Angeles outscored Golden State 54-28 in the paint, with Davis dominating the interior all night long.
The Lakers went to the free throw line 29 times in the game compared to just six for the Warriors.
"This was a completely different look from the Kings," said Thompson of the Lakers style of play compared to their first-round opponent. "We have to trust our ball movement even more. We always respond when we have a tough night out and I just know that we'll be better on Thursday."
By halftime, the two teams had exchanged leads 11 different times, were tied 10 times, and were separated by just a single point. Both teams put on a highlight reel of what they do best: 30-foot three-pointers for Golden State, and forceful dunks and alley-oops for Los Angeles.
The Lakers were unmoved by the Warriors spectacular shooting display. Each time Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, or Poole made a ridiculous three-ball, the Lakers simply remained composed and poised and executed their game plan.
"We remained solid and organized offensively, and we did not get discouraged defensively," said Lakers' head coach Darvin Ham. "We came in with a game plan and we knew there would be ebbs and flows. We had to have a next play mentality and multiple effort on multiple levels. AD specifically, he's elite defensively. I told him before the game to dominate on both sides of the ball and he's been doing that."
They continued to feed the ball to Davis, attack the basket, rebound, and run their pick-and-roll to perfection. The Lakers finally began to pull away in the third quarter, opening up a double-digit lead for the first time in the game.
"The guys were giving me the ball to me in the right spots," said Davis. "A lot of it came off the pick and roll, a couple post ups and some offensive rebounds. I was aggressive and looking to score, but it was the guards finding me early that allowed them to play free late in the game."
But the champions would not go down without a fight. Trailing by 14 points midway through the fourth quarter, the Warriors went on an 14-0 run in a four-minute span late that tied the game at 114-114 with just over a minute remaining.
But a missed three-pointer by Poole that would have tied the game, secured the victory for the Lakers when Dennis Schröder went to the line and sank two clutch free throws.
"He made six three pointers tonight," said Curry of Poole's last shot. "It was decisive. He was open, he was flowing. Considering how they were guarding us on that final possession it was an in-rhythm shot. I'm sure he felt pretty good about it and that's why he shot it. There's no regrets. It's a make or miss type of situation and we have a lot of trust in him and his ability to put the ball in the basket."
Poole had 21 points in the loss. Curry and Thompson combined for 52 points and 12 three-pointers.
Davis, who has been battling a right-hip injury throughout the playoffs, was once again dominant on both sides of the ball. He became the first Lakers' player to have at least 30 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game since Shaquille O'Neal in 2004.
"The Lakers franchise over the years and over the course of their existence have always had dominant big men," said James of Davis. "That is why their jerseys are in the rafters and that's why AD's No. 3 will be up there in the rafters. He's showing why he's one of the best players we have in this league."
While it's impossible to completely stop the Splash Brothers, the Lakers' wing defending quartet of Jarred Vanderbilt, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Dennis Schröder took turns keeping the Warriors backcourt at bay down the stretch.
Russel and Schröder each finished with 19 points and Reaves chipped in 10.
For the Lake Show, it was just the latest in a series of suppositious Game 1 performances this postseason.
In the win-and-advance Play-In Tournament, the Lakers jumped out to an early lead and never looked back against a longer and taller Minnesota Timberwolves team.
In their first round matchup with the No. 2 seed Grizzlies, the Lakers upset the team with the best home record in the NBA this season at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.
As Game 1 against the Warriors went deeper, the Lakers appeared to take advantage of their rest advantage. Los Angeles secured their first-round series in six games last Friday. The Warriors had to play a Game 7 in Sacramento on Sunday.
There will be no rest for either team as the series will play on every-other-night from here on out.
Game 2 will tipoff on Thursday night at 6:00PM PT before the series shifts to Los Angeles on Saturday.
