SAN FRANCISCO — Anthony Davis exerted his might in the middle, scoring 30 points and grabbing 23 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers stunned the Golden State Warriors, 117-112, in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
The 6-foot-11, 253-pound Davis proved too much to handle for the Warriors. He went 11 of 19 field goals and went to the free lines eight times and went 8-for-8.
“I thought AD had a great game. Obviously, he dominated and he blocked four shots and altered some others. That’s what this team has been doing now for the last few months. They have been one of the best defensive teams in the league for a reason and he’s a huge part of that,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
It was a stunning upset win for the Lakers, who got pelted with a barrage of 21 Golden State 3s and fell behind 2-10 to start the first quarter. Los Angeles also withstood a late 14-0 fourth quarter surge from the Warriors to hold on and take a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven series.
Four other Lakers finished in double-figures to help Davis ward off the defending champs.
LeBron James struggled from long distance, hitting just 1-of-8, but he still came up with 22 points and 11 rebounds. DeAngelo Russell was clutch with 19 points and six assists while Dennis Schroder drilled nine free throws to also finish with 19.
Despite shooting 14 fewer field goals than the Warriors, 106-92, Los Angeles made the most of their opportunities by converting on 43-of-92 shots (46.7 percent). The Lakers also held a 53-49 edge in rebounding to offset a 30-24 deficit in the assists department.
“We were very resilient tonight. We know how great they are on their home floor, so to withstand that, it’s another good step for or ballclub,” James told reporters at his post-game presser.
Steph Curry paced the Warriors with 27 points. But there wasn’t enough magic from the two-time MVP to bail out a Golden State team that missed 60 of 106 shot attempts while going to the free throw line only six times compared to LA’s 29 freebies.
Game 2 of the series returns to the Chase Center in downtown San Francisco on Thursday night (Friday morning Manila time).
