A nail-biting opener in San Francisco. Davis feasted a historic night as the Lakers withstood a comeback effort by Dubs in G1
The Los Angeles Lakers draw first blood on the opening page of their West Semis chapter with the Golden State Warriors, clawing a gutsy 117-112 Game 1 victory to steal the series’ home-court advantage.
After posting a 14-point lead with 5:58 remaining in the final frame, the Lakers were suddenly stunned by the Dubs’ 14-0 late blitz rallied by Stephen Curry. As such, they held on and managed to withstand the comeback attempts of the Warriors within the hostile Chase Center.
Anthony Davis went monstrous for the Lakers with that dominance at the front for 44 minutes, putting up 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting (11-of-11 free-throws) to go with 23 boards, five assists, and four huge blocks. He became the first player since the great Tim Duncan in 2003 to register 30+ PTS, 20+ REB, 5+ AST, and 4+ BLK in a playoff game.
Albeit rusty with that 9-of-24 shooting, LeBron James supplied the main supporting contributions for Davis, finishing with 22 points, 11 boards, five assists, and three blocks. The superstar duo served as the first teammates to have a 20-10-5 stat line and 3 blocks in the same playoff game since blocks were first tracked back in the 1973-74 season (h/t ESPN Stats & Info).
The Warriors had a balanced attack with Curry leading the way with his 27 points and Klay Thompson going off with 25 markers. Meanwhile, Jordan Poole, who bricked a potential game-tying three with 9.7 seconds remaining, had 21 off the bench.
The series introduction between two of the most valuable franchises in the league didn’t disappoint. Until Tuesday, they hadn’t played in a playoff arena since 1991, when Magic Johnson and the Lakers overpowered the “Run TMC” Warriors led by Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin in the Conference Semifinals.
This also marked the first time in five years that both James and Golden State crossed their paths for a postseason war, as they previously battled for four-straight Finals setup with the future Hall of Famer banning the Cleveland Cavaliers.
L.A. and Golden State will look to continue their marquee showdown in Game 2 on Thursday night.
