Dave McMenaminESPN Staff Writer May 5, 2023 2:38 am ET4 Minute Read
LeBron is confident the Lakers defense can bounce back after the Game 2 loss
LeBron James credits the Warriors with playing well in Game 2 but says he’s still confident the Lakers defense is moving forward.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Los Angeles Lakers face a Golden State Warriors team that has hit 42 3-pointers in the first two games of their second-round series, setting a league record for most 3-pointers by a team in the first both games constitutes a playoff round.
They’re trying to stop a Warriors roster that had not one, but two 40-point quarters in Thursday’s 127-100 win in Game 2 — the first time in franchise history. And for a team that has won four championships in the last eight seasons, that’s saying something.
They’re looking to thwart the backcourt with their all-time best shooting, with the two future Hall of Famers in Klay Thompson, who scored 30 points in three quarters on 8-for-11 shooting from 3, and Stephen Curry, with 20 points and 12 assists at the end are even the series.
Despite the challenge, LeBron James said the Lakers — who turned their season around after the close by cranking up their defense — will not let their defensive standards slide because of the opponent.
“We’re still the best defensive team in the league, if not one of them,” said James. “So that doesn’t change. We hang our hats on it. … It doesn’t stop no matter who we play against.”
Even with the Warriors’ explosive night, LA still has the second-best defensive rating of the eight remaining teams in the playoffs, allowing 106.5 points per 100 possessions. Only the New York Knicks are better (105.9).
But of course Thursday was a disappointment.
LA led by seven points after the first quarter, with James scoring 14 in 6-for-8 shooting.
And then the wheels came off.
Golden State defeated the Lakers in the second and third quarters, outplaying them 84-47.
In 32 quarters of basketball this postseason in Game 2 — between the play-in game against Minnesota, the first-round series against Memphis and the Lakers’ Game 1 win over Golden State — LA hadn’t even allowed 40. Then it happened in consecutive quarters.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham, whose team fell 30 behind to start the fourth, pulled his starters and finished the game giving minutes to the end of his bench for Tristan Thompson, Shaquille Harrison and rookie Max Christie.
James said the Lakers’ offense will be key to staying connected with the Warriors when their shooters heat up.
“You have to keep scoring, get to the free-throw line or just get points in the paint,” James said. “They will go for runs. They do. But you have to keep scoring, try to hold the position.”
LA had just nine free throw attempts in the first three quarters after hitting the line 29 times in Game 1.
“I thought they did a good job in crowding the paint and not allowing us in, trying to stop us from playing downhill so much,” Ham said. “That in turn influences what we do on the free-throw line.”
There was also a big drop for Anthony Davis, who had 11 points in 5-for-11 shooting after 30 points in 11-for-19 in the opener.
“I took the same shots as Game 1. I just missed them,” Davis said. “Elbow jumpers. Pocket passes to swimmers. Exactly the same look. I didn’t get a shot that I didn’t get in Game 1. They just missed. That’s all.”
It was a similar story to Davis’ ebb and flow against the Grizzlies, where every time he scored 20 or more points in a game, he scored 16 points or less.
“We’re going to be better. I’m going to do better on these shots,” Davis said. “We’ll return home on our floor and try to take care of business.”
Despite the loss, LA is 15-5 in their last 20 games going back to mid-March. And those Lakers have lost just one straight game since overhauling their roster with multiple trades at deadline.
They will host Game 3 on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena where they are 4-0 this postseason.
“I expect our team will react correctly,” said Ham.
But there’s no denying what the Warriors are capable of.
“We cut our work out for ourselves,” Ham said. “You don’t get to that point in the season if it’s easy.”