After stealing Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on the road from the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers had a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
But as was the case in the previous round versus the Memphis Grizzlies, they were outplayed and outhustled in Game 2.
The Lakers built a seven-point lead at the end of the first quarter and looked somewhat in control, but Klay Thompson heated up in the second quarter and Golden State outscored them, 41-23, in the period. The onslaught grew worse in the third quarter; the Warriors won the period 43-24. The game was effectively over with a quarter remaining.
They got the job done by going supernova from 3-point range. The Warriors flamed out from that distance in the second half of Game 1, but, on Thursday, they went 21-of-42 from downtown, which was the biggest factor in their 127-100 victory.
After forging a big advantage in free throws on Tuesday, the Lakers shot only 17, making only 10 of them, compared to 16 attempts for Golden State on Thursday. It was one of many areas they will need to address in advance of Game 3 in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Anthony Davis: D
Davis was historically dominant in Game 1, but in Game 2 he was less aggressive and had a very poor outing.
Some of the credit goes to Draymond Green, who guarded him on Thursday. Green prevented him from getting as many easy looks deep in the paint. As a result, the Lakers’ big man lived off jump shots, most of which he didn’t hit.
He went 5-of-11 from the field and scored only four points in the first half, and he didn’t score his second field goal until later in the second quarter. He lost the ball a few times, resulting in four turnovers, and he wasn’t able to hit the mid-range jumper with any consistency despite getting several good looks.
Davis continued to have an impact defensively with three blocked shots, but the Warriors were still able to hurt L.A. on dribble penetration, which set up plenty of good looks from downtown for them.
Jarred Vanderbilt: C-plus
Once again, Vanderbilt stuck to Stephen Curry defensively and prevented him from going off, holding him to 20 points in 30 minutes. However, Curry shot 7-of-12 from the field and dished 12 assists.
The Lakers forward produced six rebounds in 20 minutes, but he shot 2-of-7. Los Angeles doesn’t need him to score in double figures, but it does need him to be efficient when he does shoot and to make sure he goes up strongly at or near the rim. At times he can be tentative when attempting layups or dunks.
LeBron James: B-plus
After going 1-of-8 from 3-point range in Game 1, LeBron James hit his first two 3-pointers and was red-hot throughout the first half, scoring 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He finished with 23 points while shooting a good percentage, but he had only three assists, and his overall numbers didn’t seem to make a big impact on the game.
The positive is he played just 28 minutes after sitting out all of the fourth quarter, which means he should be relatively fresh for Game 3.
D'Angelo Russell: B-minus
Russell had eight assists and committed zero turnovers. He has done a good job of limiting his turnovers since returning to the Lakers in February, even if his shot selection is a bit rushed at times.
But he shot 5-of-12 from the field and missed all three of his 3-point attempts. Los Angeles needs more offense from him on a more consistent basis, especially when Davis has a bad game.
Austin Reaves: D-minus
Reaves shot 3-of-11 overall and 1-of-5 from downtown on Thursday, and it looked like he had a lack of energy. He didn’t attack nearly as much as usual, and he never made it to the free throw line, which is something he often does a good job of.
Defensively, he failed to slow Thompson. The Warriors’ shooting guard had one of his vintage performances with 30 points while going 8-of-11 from beyond the arc. It seemed like he simply couldn’t miss.
Reaves and his teammates were a step too slow on their rotations to Thompson and Golden State’s other 3-point threats. Adjustments will have to be made defensively to cut down on open looks.
Rui Hachimura: A-plus
Hachimura kept the Lakers in this contest before the roof caved in. He scored 14 points in the first half while making all four of his trey attempts. On the night, he had 21 points on 8-of-14 overall shooting and five rebounds in 22 minutes.
Troy Brown Jr.: C-minus
Brown played just eight minutes, and although he missed his lone field-goal attempt and went scoreless, he contributed three assists.
Dennis Schroder: C-minus
After an excellent Game 1, Schroder missed all three of his shot attempts and scored just four points while adding three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Lakers need production from the bench from men other than Hachimura, and Schroder is the best candidate to give them exactly that.
Tristan Thompson: B
Thompson made his first appearance all season, and he didn’t do too badly. The veteran big man played 12 minutes and scored five points while adding four rebounds and two assists.
Malik Beasley: D
Beasley didn’t play in Game 1, but the fact Game 2 was a blowout allowed him to get 12 minutes of playing time in garbage time. He didn’t take advantage, missing all but one of his four shot attempts and all three of his 3-point tries.
Lonnie Walker IV: B-plus
In 11 minutes, Walker shot 4-of-8 overall from the field and scored nine points while also contributing one assist and one steal.
Although he plays very sparingly these days — almost exclusively in garbage time — he clearly still has the ability to help this Lakers team, especially given the problems they’ve been having hitting from the outside.
Max Christie: D
The rookie wing received eight minutes of playing time, and he missed his one shot attempt while going 2-of-4 from the free-throw line and getting one rebound.
Shaquille Harrison: D-plus
Harrison did not attempt a shot in nine minutes, but he managed to contribute one rebound, one assist and one steal.
Wenyen Gabriel: Incomplete
In three minutes on the court, Gabriel made no contribution on the stat sheet.
