Anthony Davis ended another great night with 25 points. Gary A Vasquez (USA TODAY Sports via Portal Con)
It was another historic night for LeBron James. And not for what is believed. The man who has made acrobatics a habit in 20 years in the NBA had one of the dullest starts of his career this Saturday. In the same season he took the points record from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the No. 6 recorded his first quarter of the playoffs without a shot tonight. James corrected course and avoided disaster in the second half, leading the Lakers to an overwhelming 127-97 win over Golden State. At the opener, however, the four-championship star troubled many with one question: Can the Lakers defeat the Warriors without LeBron?
Today’s win takes the Lakers 2-1 into the West Semifinals, which resumes here on Monday. LeBron barely appeared in the starting area where he had two rebounds and three assists. His team fell seven points behind at the end of that period. From the free-throw line he was able to break the zero well into the second quarter. He emerged from the lethargy protected by the public including his 18-year-old son Bronny, who this Saturday chose the USC Trojans to launch his college basketball career (he is the first James to attend college).
Seconds after the penalty shootout, James converted a quick counterattack. He ended hibernation with a threesome. By the end of the third quarter, he was the star everyone knows. He ended the night with 21 points, as did D’Angello Russell. “I focused on the board. I didn’t plan it that way, but that was the game. I got involved when I needed to,” said James, dressed in Celtics green, at the dressing room conference.
Stephen Curry had 23 points in a night where his team lost to 30. Gary A Vasquez (USA TODAY Sports via Portal Con)
On the same day as Carlos III’s coronation, entertainment kings welcomed the series’ arrival in Los Angeles. This Saturday’s meeting was a celebrity catwalk. Jack Nicholson came out of the ban a few days ago to watch the 17-time champion team. Today it was Leonardo DiCaprio who tried to covertly watch the game wearing a black mask and a Dodgers cap of the same color. Dustin Hoffman was the representative of old Hollywood and Kim Kardashian of new. Next to the businesswoman and influencer seated next to the Lakers bench was actor Michael B. Jordan. Also there was Adele, comedian Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson, Don Cheadle. Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rob Zombie were the musical stars at home, where the cheapest tickets were listed at $500.
Anthony Davis was the Angelenos’ top scorer with 25 points. He grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots. Davis is said to be the character they build the team around once the legend of James fades to yellow and purple. With a game like tonight, the center has teamed with Shaquille O’Neal and Abdul-Jabbar as Lakers players with 25+ points, 10 rebounds and at least four blocks. AD has seven double-doubles in the current postseason.
When James woke up, the Lakers easily edged out the Warriors, who suffered another night of disobedience with four apparent technical problems in the first half and 15 turnovers between the second and third quarters. In all, they turned the ball 19 times, giving the Lakers a chance to convert 27 points. As in Game 1 of the series, the Golden State defense gifted their opponents 37 trips to the foul line. From that distance, the Lakers scored 28 points compared to 12 for the Warriors.
Leonardo DiCaprio was just one of dozens of celebrities who showed up for game three of the semifinals. Gary A Vasquez (USA TODAY Sports via Portal Con)
The game practically ended in the penultimate quarter, with the Warriors trailing by 18. Steve Kerr then said the night off, pulling Stephen Curry, 23, and Klay Thompson, 15, back to rest them. The Splash brothers combined for 7 of 19 3-pointers. Curry only made nine out of 21 in the box. There was a moment in the second half when his team missed 10 shots out of 11 in a row. However, one of the best moments of the game was a poster Andrew Wiggins (16) made in the third quarter of Anthony Davis. After the dunk, the Golden State forward, who had nine rebounds and four assists, took out the frustration with a big scream. His relief couldn’t stop her from dropping by 30.
D’Angelo Russell had his best game of the series this Saturday. In the first quarter, he, Davis and Dennis Schroder were the only Lakers to score. He started 11 and finished the first half with 21. This afternoon, before the ball started moving on the pitch at Crypto Stadium, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said “the player was unfairly rated”. Russell had played for San Francisco in 2019-2020. An injury prevented him from fully fitting in alongside Curry and Thompson, for whom he had been brought to the bay. His game had a certain taste for revenge.
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