The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Golden State Warriors, 117-115.
Avery Bradley drew the start and drained a 3-pointer but was later called for a shooting foul on Steph Curry, who was behind the arc. Although LeBron James could not get a whistle, he did finish a pair of nice drives to re-settle the Lakers and bring the contest within three.
Anthony Davis was active in the painted area, contesting shots and, on the other end, looking for his jumper, but the Laker defense struggled by allowing too many transition points. Talen Horton-Tucker shot the basketball with confidence off the bench, but another foul at the 3-point line had the Lakers done 32-26 after one.
Los Angeles’ defense struggled to defend the rim at the top of the second, with Golden State gliding in for layups. However, Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves were able to hit open outside shots to get the Lakers within single digits halfway through the quarter.
Davis re-entered the game and went back to work in the paint, earning a pair of three-point plays to keep pace with the Warriors. The Lakers had trouble keeping Curry out of the paint in the closing minutes of the half, and they would go into halftime trailing 65-62.
James played much more of a facilitator role to begin the third, finding Russell Westbrook and Stanley Johnson on cuts to the basket for easy scores. James drainea 3-pointer from above the break and with it broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record for most points scored in the regular season and postseason combined.
Los Angeles had trouble containing Andrew Wiggins who began to get going from the field, but Malik Monk and Horton-Tucker were able to hand them their first lead since early in the first quarter. Reaves was able to sink a baseline jumper on their final possession and the Lakers would go into the final period slightly trailing 95-94.
The boys from Arkansas were a jolt of energy to start the fourth as Reaves blocked klay Thompson at the rim while Monk followed it up with an and-one in transition to put L.A. up 99-95. Reaves’ breakout game went on, locking up defensively and finishing a tough drive to keep the Lakers up five.
Thompson caught fire shooting the basketball, hitting tough jumpers everywhere though the Lakers were able to answer and remain ahead. However, things fell apart down the stretch as the ball did not bounce their way on a few possession and wound up suffering a brutal loss.
