Anthony Davis not a factor in Lakers’ blowout Game 2 loss to Warriors
SAN FRANCISCO — As Moses Moody swung on the rim and LeBron James stood flat-footed, the five Lakers on the court all dropped their heads, eyes pointed to the court. There were still 2.2 seconds left in the third quarter, but James caught the inbounds pass and dribbled out the clock.
There was no decision for coach Darvin Ham to make, no comeback to try to put together. Down 30 points, the Lakers leader made it obvious.
They were done. And with 12 more minutes to play, this game was over.
Officially, the Lakers lost 127-100, but it was finished way before that.
Lakers get blown out in Game 2, settle for road split
The Warriors needed a win in Game 2 more than the Lakers and played like it, tying the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series 1-1 after a 127-100 blowout at Chase Center. The Lakers still secured a split during the opening road trip and return to Crypto.com Arena for Game 3 on Saturday with home-court advantage.
Needing a win to avoid a dire 2-0 deficit, Golden State’s Klay Thompson exploded for 30 points in 31 minutes. Stephen Curry had 20 points with 12 assists as the Warriors didn’t look back when flipping a seven-point deficit after the first quarter into an 11-point halftime lead.
Down by 30 to begin the fourth, the Lakers played an entire quarter of garbage time and sat LeBron James, who had 23 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes. He scored just two points in the second half.
James was clicking early on offense, draining two three-pointers in the first quarter, but he didn’t get enough help from Anthony Davis. The star of Game 1 had just 11 points on five-of-11 shooting and took just one free throw. He had seven rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and four turnovers.
Rui Hachimura was a bright spot off the bench for the Lakers with 21 points and five rebounds.
Lakers digging deep into bench in blowout
Max Christie and Shaquille Harrison are on the court for the Lakers, who are down 122-92 with 6:04 left in the fourth quarter.
Christie has two points, both on free throws.
Lakers clear the bench to begin fourth quarter
Late-season acquisition Tristan Thompson is on the court for the first time this season, signaling the Lakers’ figurative white flag as they started the fourth quarter down by 30.
Thompson was signed just before the postseason to add depth. He played for Chicago last season.
The Lakers also put in Malik Beasley and Lonnie Walker IV for the first time in the game. They trail 114-84 with 9:24 left.
Warriors lead by 30 after three
As if a lead this big wasn’t embarrassing enough for the Lakers, the Warriors put an exclamation point on a dominant third quarter with a last-possession dunk by Moses Moody to go up 110-80 heading into the fourth quarter.
LeBron James was held to just two points in the third quarter. He has 23 points in the game.
Klay Thompson leads all scorers with 30 while Stephen Curry has 16 points and 12 assists.
How long until Lakers pull the plug?
With one critical road game in hand and Game 3 waiting on Saturday, perhaps the Lakers should wave the white flag soon as they trail 106-80 with 3.7 seconds left in the third quarter.
Klay Thompson has 30 points while Stephen Curry and Draymond Green each have double-doubles. Green is flirting with a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Curry has 16 points and 11 assists.
While he’s been relatively quiet from a scoring standpoint, Curry still provided a highlight with a three-pointer over two defenders while falling toward the court with 1:07 left in the quarter that left his own father Dell Curry shaking his head in disbelief in the stands.
After his own 30-point performance in Game 1, Anthony Davis just crossed into double digits late in the third quarter. He has 11 points and seven rebounds while LeBron James has 23 points, but only two in the second half.
James was called for a technical foul late in the third quarter for arguing a foul call. The Lakers challenged another foul call against James and it was unsuccessful.
Rui Hachimura has 19 points off the bench for the Lakers.
Lakers down big in third quarter
The Lakers trail 90-72 with 5:03 remaining in the third quarter. The Warriors have four of five starters scoring in double digits, including 25 points from Klay Thompson and 15 from JaMychal Green.
LeBron James leads the Lakers with 23 points while Rui Hachimura has scored 14 off the bench, but they have struggled to get to the free-throw line at the same rate as they did in Game 1 and can’t keep pace with the Warriors’ hot-shooting offense.
Klay Thompson making a splash
The Warriors have made five consecutive shots and lead 82-64 with 7:46 to go in the third quarter.
JaMychal Green is making the most of his opportunity after starting in place of the ill Kevon Looney with five points and an assist in the third quarter. He has 10 points in the game.
Klay Thompson is carrying the Warriors with 25 points while Stephen Curry is fueling the offense with nine assists.
The Warriors are 14-for-28 shooting from three-point range and Thompson is seven of nine from deep.
Can Anthony Davis contribute during second half?
The Lakers trail 67-56 to begin the second half and Anthony Davis has been quiet with four points, five rebounds and three turnovers.
Davis is two-for-seven shooting from the field.
Warriors dominate second quarter to grab halftime lead
The Warriors almost doubled the Lakers’ second-quarter scoring and take a 67-56 lead into the locker room.
The Lakers were outscored 41-23 in the second as Klay Thompson scored 14 of his 19 points in the quarter.
LeBron James leads the Lakers with 21 points and five rebounds. Rui Hachimura is the Lakers’ second-leading scorer with 14 points off the bench.
The Lakers didn’t take a free throw until there was 1:03 remaining in the second quarter after taking 29 in Game 1.
Keep an eye on the foul column, where Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry and Jordan Poole each have three. Curry sparked the Warriors’ second-quarter surge with three early assists and has eight assists with eight points.
Role reversal
After living at the free-throw line in Game 1, the Lakers have yet to shoot a free throw in Game 2 with 2:50 remaining in the second quarter.
The Warriors lead 60-50.
The Warriors successfully challenged a charging call on Andrew Wiggins as he collided with LeBron James on a drive to the basket. Wiggins was called for an offensive foul, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr challenged and referees reversed the call after determining James wasn’t in legal guarding position.
During the exchange, Lakers assistant Phil Handy received a technical foul. The Warriors made all three free throws for their largest lead of the game.
Bank is open for LeBron
LeBron James banked in a desperation three-point heave at the end of the shot clock and Rui Hachimura still hasn’t missed from long range, but the Lakers trail 54-50 with 3:26 remaining in the second quarter.
James has 19 points in 16 minutes and Hachimura has 14 points off the bench on four-of-four shooting from deep.
The Warriors went on a 12-2 run to start the second quarter. Stephen Curry fueled the streak with four assists and one basket, but he picked up his second foul with 8:03 left in the second quarter. Curry has seven points and seven assists, and Klay Thompson leads the Warriors with 13 points.
The champs are here
Of course, the Warriors wouldn’t make this easy for the Lakers.
The defending champions started the second quarter on a 10-2 run and jumped ahead 36-35 with a three-pointer from Klay Thompson with 9:17 left in the second quarter.
Stephen Curry assisted on three consecutive baskets — a layup by Kevon Looney and back-to-back threes from Donte DiVincenzo and Thompson — and has six assists for the game with five points. Thompson has eight points.
LeBron James leads Lakers to first-quarter lead
After making only six three-pointers in Game 1, the Lakers have five in the first quarter of Game 2 and a 33-26 lead.
James leads the Lakers with 14 points on six-of-eight shooting. He is two for three from three-point range, a welcome sight that could signal the end of his postseason shooting slump.
Rui Hachimura has made both of his three-pointers and has eight points off the bench. The Lakers are five-of-eight shooting from three.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson each have five points. Curry also has three assists.
The Warriors have zero offensive rebounds as Kevon Looney, who did not start, is laboring through an illness. The Lakers are also taking care of the ball with only one turnover.
Close game in first quarter
The Lakers are hanging on to a 21-19 lead with 2:58 remaining in the first quarter after Jordan Poole shot an airball from three-point range.
LeBron James has been on the bench since the last break and still leads all scorers with eight points.
Anthony Davis is now on the board, making a mid-range push shot, but still has just two points on one-of-five shooting. He has two rebounds and two assists.
LeBron James connecting from three early
The Lakers lead 14-12 with 6:25 remaining in the first quarter.
LeBron James might finally be emerging from a three-point shooting slump as he made a pair of threes early and has eight points. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer was struggling from distance lately: just nine-for-49 shooting during the postseason.
D’Angelo Russell has four points and Jarred Vanderbilt has a team-high three rebounds for the Lakers.
Draymond Green opened the game defensively on Anthony Davis with Kevon Looney out, and Davis is scoreless on one shot attempt.
JaMychal Green, who started in place of Looney, leads the Warriors with five points and two rebounds.
Can the Lakers take a commanding 2-0 lead?
Hello again, this is Thuc Nhi Nguyen piloting your Lakers live blog for Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. I’m in Los Angeles and my colleagues Dan Woike, Brad Turner and Bill Plaschke are at the Chase Center in San Francisco, where the Lakers have a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Warriors were 33-8 at home during the regular season, making the Lakers’ Game 1 victory all the more impressive. Anthony Davis carried the Lakers to victory with 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots.
According to ESPN’s pregame report, Warriors center Kevon Looney is limited with an undisclosed illness and he is expected to play no more than 20 minutes. JaMychal Green will start in his place.
Kevon Looney out of starting lineup for Game 2
After pulling down 23 rebounds and scoring 10 points in a Game 1 loss, Kevon Looney is out of the Warriors starting lineup for Game 2 in exchange for JaMychal Green.
Looney is feeling under the weather, according to the Warriors, but is expected to play.
The Warriors will also start Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. JaMychal Green, a 6-foot-9 forward who played for the Clippers in 2019 and 2020, scored six points in eight minutes in Game 1.
The Lakers are sticking with their same starting lineup of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell.
LeBron James gets ready for Game 2 vs. Warriors
Lakers-Warriors series: Plenty of storylines, but LeBron vs. Steph is No. 1
Pick one of the storylines. Alone, any could carry the Lakers-Warriors playoff series.
The top geographical rivalry on the West Coast, the battle between the Bay and L.A.
The generation’s two best players, LeBron James and Stephen Curry, meeting once again in the playoffs.
The admiration between James and Draymond Green.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham discusses firing of Mike Budenholzer
Want Lakers vs. Warriors playoff tickets? No problem, as long as money is no object
Hollywood loves its stars, never more so than on a Saturday night. And, for a duo with star power, it would be difficult to beat LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
It would not be difficult to get tickets to Saturday night’s NBA playoff game between the Lakers and Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.
It would, however, be expensive.
On Thursday, The Los Angeles Times checked three ticket sites, including one accessed through the Lakers’ team website. The prices were similar: You aren’t getting inside the arena for less than $500 per ticket, once you account for fees.
Anthony Davis silences ‘street clothes’ critics during Lakers’ win
SAN FRANCISCO — They couldn’t splash him. They couldn’t Steph him. They couldn’t stop him.
He danced over Draymond. He lugged around Looney. He was as sturdy as that giant bridge that adorns the Chase Center court, never swaying, never buckling, pure gold.
Lakers fans have long been waiting for this. The NBA has long been fearing this. The Golden State Warriors have just been reminded of this.
And everybody — absolutely everybody — once doubted this.
His name is Anthony Davis, and he is in the process of proving that everybody is full of it.
Full of the misconception that he’s not tough. Full of the misguided notion that he’s not clutch. Full of the unwarranted criticism that he’s not built for nights like Tuesday, on the big stage, with his team desperately relying on his punch to overcome the Warriors’ pluck.
Dennis Schroder again gives Lakers boost off bench in Game 1 win over Warriors
SAN FRANCISCO — Dennis Schroder had just picked up the dangerous Stephen Curry near halfcourt, the Lakers guard’s eyes glued on the basketball the Warriors guard was dribbling. In a flash, Schroder reached with his right hand and poked the ball away from Curry, stealing it and waltzing in for a layup early in the second quarter.
Schroder watched as Jordan Poole took a 27-foot three-pointer with 9.7 seconds left, a shot the Warriors guard needed to make to tie the score in a tense Game 1 between the Lakers and Golden State on Tuesday night at Chase Center. When Poole’s shot careened off the rim, Schroder hustled for the rebound, grabbing it with 4.7 seconds left while lying on the court, all while surrounded by Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.
The Lakers called a timeout, the game now in their hands.