Game 3 was supposed to be a pivotal game between two of the most successful players of a generation, but it turned out to be a basic blowout to the Los Angeles Lakers.
With the series tied 1–1, the Lakers won 127–97 on Saturday and took the series lead at home. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. in Los Angeles (tnt).
It wasn't the prettiest game, even though all the celebrities were in attendance at the Crypto.com Arena. LeBron James, whose son Bronnie announced his commitment to USC earlier in the day, went the entire first quarter without attempting a field goal, first such debut In his NBA-record 275 playoff games.
The Warriors had their moments, but finished 35-of-90 (38.9%) and 13-of-44 shooting with 19 turnovers and 22 personal fouls. Four technical fouls were committed during the game. The game ended with a 37–15 free throw attempt discrepancy in favor of the Lakers.
The game hinged on a second quarter in which the Warriors opened up an 11-point lead, then lost it and more on a 30–8 Lakers run to end the first half, capped by an Anthony Davis buzzer-beating lay-up.
The Lakers started the second half with an 11-point lead, but the Warriors never closed it by fewer than nine points. golden state struggled to find any consistent offense and defensive veteran Draymond Green faced foul trouble while Los Angeles just kept teeing off.
The Lakers' postseason has so far been defined by whether or not they have a good Anthony Davis on the court, and it was Saturday of the former. The Big Man had a monster game on both ends of the floor, scoring 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go with 13 rebounds, four blocks, three assists and three steals. James finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, despite going scoreless in the fourth quarter.
No one really had a great game for the Warriors, but Andrew Wiggins came the closest with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting with nine rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers. plus a poster dunk, Stephen Curry led the team with 23 points on 9-of-21 shooting (4-of-10 from deep).