Although the Golden State Warriors are coming off a seven-game series against the Sacramento Kings, heading to the Bay Area is never an easy task for opposing teams. The Los Angeles Lakers had several days of rest after dispatching the Memphis Grizzlies this past Friday, but going against the defending champions is an entirely different animal.
Fortunately, the Lakers understood what they needed to do to beat the Warriors as their game plan relied heavily on shutting off the paint, getting to the free-throw line and getting back in transition. Los Angeles followed their strategy perfectly and as a result stole Game 1 on the road to take a 1-0 series lead.
The key to every playoff series is Anthony Davis as he unlocks the best version of the Lakers on both ends of the floor. Game 1 was no different as he absolutely dominated the Warriors in the painted area. After taking a few minutes to settle in, Davis went right to work attacking the rim and cleaning up the glass to ensure that Golden State didn’t get extra opportunities to score.
The Warriors had no answer for the big man as he torched them to the tune of 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting to go along with 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Davis has been playing the best basketball of his career during the 2023 NBA Playoffs and is the largest reason why the Lakers should start seriously being considered as a threat for the title this year.
LeBron James wasn’t nearly as efficient scoring the basketball as it took him 24 shots to get to 22 points, but the King still did plenty of the little things to help lead them to a win. James was excellent as a backline defender, coming up with three blocks of his own. He also helped Davis on the glass as he pulled down 11 rebounds.
L.A.’s backcourt tandem of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves both got off to slow starts in the first half before turning it on in the third quarter. Russell was able to spark some life in the Laker offense after knocking down several tough jumpers, while Reaves eventually found room to get to his preferred spots on the floor. The tandem combined for 29 points and hit timely shots that the Lakers needed.
What’s next for Lakers
With the playoffs moving to an every-other-day schedule, the purple and gold only get one day of rest before Game 2 on Thursday. After that, they head home back to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday.
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