© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The verdict is in on the play-in games: they are very fun. The NBA’s wish of a Warriors-Lakers one-off came to fruition and it was as relentlessly entertaining as it was billed to be. Stephen Curry and the Warriors got their opportunity on the national stage, and almost took it in a 103-100 loss to the Lakers.
We have not seen a pace like we saw on Wednesday night at any other point this season. It was absolutely relentless and borderline exhausting to watch. There were bodies flying around the court, laying out for loose balls, of which there were an astounding number of.
It wasn’t catch-a-pig-covered-in-vaseline-level slippery, but neither team seemed to have any level of competency or confidence in holding onto the ball.
That’s where the Warriors lost control of this game, but they worked their way back into it. It was in that slip-sliding third quarter that whatever grip the Warriors had on the game, well, slipped away, along with their grasp on the ball.
The Lakers ratcheted up their tempo to a level the Warriors were neither accustomed to, nor, with a much more limited bench, could keep up with. Stephen Curry was hedged and closed down high in the half court, and those typical passes above the key between him, Draymond Green and others that normally go uncontested, were not.
Every pass became something that had to be fought for, and a Lakers team which didn’t seem willing to fight for much in the first half, was very willing to in the second.
Green, who was stellar in as a defender and facilitator, turned the ball over six times and found himself on the wrong end of a handful of 50-50s. Curry, meanwhile, turned it over six times. Those 12 turnovers were coupled with others, like a dropped inch-perfect pass he sent to a cutting Andrew Wiggins, were the difference against a Lakers team that had a substantial size and length advantage. Golden State had 20 turnovers to the Lakers’ 13.
Seven third quarter Warriors turnovers and several other Lakers deflections. Game has shifted.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 20, 2021
This was with a pair in LeBron James and Anthony Davis who looked like shells of themselves for most of the night.
The Warriors led for the entirety of the first half and most of the third, until the Lakers, as the Warriors got sloppy and Curry sat briefly, eventually stretched to a six-point lead. But James was absolutely not his self, and for as relentless as the Lakers were in the second half, the Warriors were the same way.
It was the recipe for success we’ve seen from the Warriors all throughout this year, but with Curry playing a season-high 40 minutes. Despite the turnovers, Curry was his usual dominant self, putting up 37 points. He was complimented by Green, who had 2 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks.
Andrew Wiggins was just as good as he’s been throughout this entire late-season stretch, with 21 points and elite defense on James. Kevon Looney was absurdly efficient on the glass, with 13 rebounds (five offensive rebounds), and Kent Bazemore, Jordan Poole and Juan Toscano Anderson (29 combined points), all had their moments.
But what it really came down to was a clutch shot from James. Despite an off night, he had a 22-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, punctuated by this game-winner.
BRON HUGE THREE ? pic.twitter.com/MmbwXTPGNz
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 20, 2021
Of course, in typical LeBron fashion, instead of soaking up the moment as an incredible shot, he had to add a narrative to it, saying afterwards that he saw three rims and shot at the middle one, after being poked in the eye by Green earlier.
The Warriors now have a Friday matchup, and second play-in coming with the Memphis Grizzlies to decide who gets the eighth seed and will face the Utah Jazz this Sunday.