Getty Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Despite opening up the series at home, the Golden State Warriors weren’t able to pick up a win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semi-Finals series. Now, the Lakers control home-court advantage.
While Golden State was able to make a few runs, the Lakers’ defense did a great job of stifling them, especially in the paint. Anthony Davis led the way in that regard, and after the game, Stephen Curry admitted that it could take the Warriors a little bit to get used to his presence.
“For sure. It’s also because of how they’re playing us,” Curry said when asked about if the Warriors need to get used to facing Davis. “They know they want to take away our threes, even though we got 50 of them up. They want to try to put pressure on the perimeter, funnel everything into the paint, and allow him to disrupt a lot and close the space pretty quickly. It’s kind of deceiving. You feel like you have a good look to get it over the top, and he gets a fingertip on it.”
Davis put up monster numbers against the Warriors, highlighted by four blocks. He also had 30 points, 23 rebounds, and five assists. The big man shot 11-of-19 from the field.
Curry stressed the importance of Golden State staying aggressive while also acknowledging Davis’ dominant presence down low.
“You got to respect it,” Curry said. “That’s how he makes an impact on that end of the floor, and you can’t be stubborn, thinking you can just keep going in there. You still got to be able to drive and put pressure on the rim, but you can do it in a creative way. So, yes, you got to feel it because it’s impactful.”
LeBron James Name-Drops Warriors’ Stephen Curry
Meanwhile, after the game, LeBron James urged the Lakers to be better on the defensive end, noting that they gave up too many easy threes to Curry, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole.
“We got to do a better job,” James said post-game. “I think, even though late, they made a run, and I think throughout the second half, just only giving up 48 points, that’s really good. But we had a couple of lulls where we allowed those guys—Steph, Klay, and Jordan—to get some looks. And if we’re really tuned in, it won’t happen. They’re going to get their looks anyways, so we can’t have our own personal-problem mistakes,” said James. “So, we got to be better. We got to be better. We loved the game plan, but we got to be better as the guys on the floor.”
Warriors’ Steve Kerr on Jordan Poole’s Shot
One of the biggest moments of the game was when Poole missed a three with roughly ten seconds remaining in the contest—a shot that would have tied the game. However, post-game, head coach Steve Kerr said he was happy with the look.
“Pretty good look,” Kerr said via 95.7 The Game. “That’s a shot he can hit. Really happy with that possession. Jordan had six threes already. It was a great shot for us.”
