NBA Playoffs – playoffs – working day 25
It’s been another historic night for LeBron James. And not for what is believed. The man who has made a habit of feats in 20 years in the NBA has had one of his most boring starts of his career this Saturday. In the same season he took Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s scoring record, the No. 6 recorded his first playoff quarter without a shot tonight. James corrected the course and averted disaster in the second half, leading the Lakers to a blowout 127-97 victory over Golden State. During the start, however, the star of the four championships troubled many with a question: Can the Lakers defeat the Warriors without LeBron?
Tonight’s win leads the Lakers 2-1 in the West semifinal, which continues here Monday. LeBron barely appeared in the starting room, where he had two rebounds and three assists. His team was falling at the end of that period by seven points. He was able to break the score well into the second quarter from the free throw line. He came out of lethargy sheltered by the public, among which was his 18-year-old son Bronny, who chose the USC Trojans this Saturday to launch his college basketball career (he is the first James to go to university ).
Seconds after the penalty kicks, James converted a fast break. He ended hibernation with a triple. By the end of the third quarter, he was the star known to all. He closed the night with 21 points, as did D’Angello Russell. “I focused on the board. I didn’t plan it that way, but that was the game. I got involved when I needed it,” James, dressed in Celtics green, said at the locker room conference.
On the same day as Carlos III’s coronation, entertainment royalty welcomed the series’ arrival in Los Angeles. The meeting this Saturday has been a celebrity catwalk. Jack Nicholson came out of ostracism a few days ago to watch the 17-time champion team. Today it was Leonardo DiCaprio who tried to keep a low profile watching the game with a black mask and a Dodgers cap of the same color. Dustin Hoffman was the representative of the old Hollywood and Kim Kardashian of the new. Next to the businesswoman and influencer, sitting next to the Lakers bench, was the actor Michael B Jordan. Also there were Adele, comedian Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson, Don Cheadle. Anthony Kiedis, the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rob Zombie were the musical stars at home, where the cheapest tickets were listed at $500.
Anthony Davis was, with 25 points, the top scorer for the Angelenos. He grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots. Davis is called to be the figure around which they build the team once the legend of James in yellow and purple fades. With a game like tonight’s, the center has joined Shaquille O’Neal and Abdul-Jabbar as Lakers players with more than 25 points, ten rebounds and at least four blocks. AD has seven double-doubles in the current postseason.
When James woke up, the Lakers easily prevailed over the Warriors, who suffered another night of insubordination with four flagrant first-half technicals and 15 turnovers between the second and third quarters. In all, they turned the ball over 19 times, giving the Lakers a chance to convert 27 points. As in Game 1 of the series, Golden State’s defense gifted their opponents 37 trips to the foul line. From that distance, the Lakers scored 28 compared to 12 for the Warriors.
The game practically ended in the penultimate quarter, with the Warriors trailing by 18. Steve Kerr called the night off then and retired Stephen Curry (23) and Klay Thompson (15) to rest them. The splash brothers they combined for 7-of-19 3-pointers. Curry made just nine of 21 inside the box. There was a moment in the second quarter where his team missed 10 of 11 consecutive shots. However, one of the best moments of the game was a poster that Andrew Wiggins (16) made of Anthony Davis in the third quarter. After the dunk, the Golden State forward, who had nine rebounds and four assists, took out the frustration with a big yell. His relief could not prevent them from falling for 30.
D’Angelo Russell had his best game of the series this Saturday. In the first quarter, he, Davis, and Dennis Schroder were the only Lakers to score. He made eleven at the start and closed the first half with 21. This afternoon, before the ball was set in motion on the court at Crypto Stadium, Steve Kerr, the Warriors coach, said that “the player has been unfairly valued.” step Russell had for San Francisco in 2019-2020. An injury prevented him from fully fitting in alongside Curry and Thompson, for which he had been brought to the bay. His game has had a certain flavor of revenge.
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