Warriors In Ocean Deep Trouble?
The Golden State Warriors led the Lakers 40–29 with 8 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. But a 30–8 Lakers run Led by D’Angelo Russell scoring 13 of the 23 in the 1st quarter, had the Lakers leading 48–59 @ halftime.
Draymond Green & Klay Thompson had 3 personal fouls each at the break. Meanwhile, Lebron James had 10 points @ the half after not taking a shot the entire 1st quarter for the first time in his 275th playoff appearance, crediting the Warriors Defense.
But it would be the Lakers who outscore them 49–68 in the 2nd half, 57–98 since the 8-minute mark of the 2nd quarter, leading to a 97–127 romp to take a 2–1 series lead over the defending Champs. Davis led all scorers with 25 points and rebounds with 13.
Curry led the Warriors in scoring with 23 points. The Warriors and Lakers swapped massive runs in the 1st half, but the Lakers got the better of it, going on a 22–2 scoring run late in the 2nd quarter, going up 42–51. D’Angelo Russell hit 5 three pointers, finishing with 21 points as a starter, tying up with Lebron James for points, and was the game’s 2nd leading scorer.
However, Anthony Davis did not get a single offensive rebound. All 13 rebounds were defensive rebounds. Every time the Warriors got an offensive rebound they never went up with it because Anthony Davis had been protecting the paint having 4 blocks, blocking some clutch shots by the warriors to shorten the lead.
The Lakers’ largest lead of the game was 30, when they had won 97–127. This is the exact performance the Warriors put up against the Lakers in the regular season. The Warriors lost by 14, 109–123, with Klay Thompson putting up decent numbers, but the Lakers Bench played extraordinary.
Takeaways from Game 3:
1. Free Throw Disparity continues for Warriors; 37:17 ratio in favor of the Lakers. The Warriors have struggled to defend without fouling, and the Lakers earned 22 percent of their points from the free throw Line. If the Warriors can limit that in game 4, then they will be in a favorable position. Game 5 being in Chase Center, where they have been so resilient.
2. Foul Trouble: Draymond Green had 5 fouls and couldn’t play aggressively on Anthony Davis. He had the same issue in Game 1 with 5 fouls but was able to counter in game 2, completely shutting down Anthony Davis, holding Him to 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Warriors need Green’s defense more than ever in game 4.
3. Turnovers: Warriors/Lakers had 10 turnovers each in the 1st half. Turnovers have been a primary issue for the Warriors, averaging 16.3 giveaways per game in the 22–23 regular season. In game 6 of the Warriors/Kings series, the Warriors stacked up 19 turnovers leading to 25 Kings points. That game marked a franchise record for the worst home loss for the Dubs, losing by 19.
4. Balanced Attack: Lakers have a balanced attack. They outscored Warriors bench by a lot. Earlier this year, the Lakers beat the Warriors 109–103 @ Chase Center. Without Lebron James, the Lakers bench shined in the 4th quarter as they pulled away late in the game.
What to watch out for:
The Warriors situation is looking more bleak by the day. Due to injuries and shooting inconsistencies, the Warriors finished 28th in win percentage away from Chase Center ahead of two lottery teams, the Spurs and the Pistons. The Lakers have a load of good players such as Davis, Lebron, Reaves, Hachimura, and Vanderbilt.
The bottom line - the Warriors are in ocean-deep trouble.
