Lakers Fines Anthony $3m for partying while on…

Anthony Davis made a layup with 2:47 remaining in the first quarter, but he fell to the ground clutching his face when Warriors rookie big man Trayce Jackson-Davis swiped at his eye on a blocked shot attempt. AD would play through the first quarter of the game, but he was clearly concerned by his eye, which he kept nearly closed the entire time he was on the floor.

Davis left for the locker room during the quarter break, and the club said he had a “eye contusion.” Davis never came back to the game. The Lakers led the Warriors 128-121 when Davis departed the game, but they were outscored by 13 points for the remainder of the contest, thereby tying the score in the standings. Before the season is out, these clubs will play one more game.

On this particular night, Davis played just under 12 minutes of court time and finished with six points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block. He was obviously effective on both ends of the court and once again demonstrated why he presents a challenge to this Warriors team.

Even without AD, the Lakers battled valiantly, depending on LeBron James’s offensive prowess to keep them in the game. LeBron scored 40 points total on 15 of 23 shots while playing with tremendous skill and force near the hoop. LeBron excelled at making the most of the opportunities the defense presented him with, using his strength and ability to shoot to get out of the post against smaller opponents, driving to the rim on drives against the Warriors wings, and shooting the three when the defense switched big men on him or if they gave him too much space.

LeBron also tallied nine assists while passing to his teammates to help them get decent looks when he wasn’t creating shots for himself. LeBron was excellent at moving the ball on to open teammates, skipping the ball over the top when secondary help shaded towards him, or just moving the ball onto the open man as they sprinted towards him in rotation because he was aware of all the ways the Warriors tried to limit him while he had the ball in his hands. LeBron almost recorded a triple-double to try to make up for the loss of AD, and he also had eight rebounds.

Alongside LeBron, D’Angelo Russell had a productive offensive night, recording a double-double with 23 points and 13 assists. Despite his nine of twenty-one shooting performance (three of ten from beyond the arc), Russell was especially needed for his passing and shot creation because AD was not available to absorb some of that offensive usage and provide a counterbalance in the paint to the Lakers perimeter-based attack.

However, the Lakers were able to score even without AD, but their defense was unable to do the same. The Warriors scored 49 points in the paint in the game’s conclusion, but 45 of those points came after AD departed the court, demonstrating their offensive strategy in the absence of the Lakers defensive pillar guarding the rim. While Davis was in the locker room, the Warriors made a concerted effort to assault the paint on drives and cuts, even if they still mostly depended on their outside shooting.

Ironically, Steph Curry was the one who profited most from this paint-based onslaught. With just three of his 31 points coming from beyond the arc, Curry led the Warriors in shooting percentage. Nine of his other field goals were made in the paint, eight of them at the hoop as he drove, cut, and ducked into the restricted area to finish for layups.

Jonathan Kuminga (23 points) and Klay Thompson (26 points) both had outstanding nights for the Warriors. With five of his ten three-point tries coming from outside the area, Klay was scorching from the outside. He also made his way through mid-range shots and runners for his other baskets, finishing off pin-down screens and slipping into the openings in the Lakers perimeter defense. Kuminga was almost as explosive as a shooter, making many jump shots (two of which were three-pointers) and dishing out lob passes for dunks in addition to being a weak side cutter.

In the end, that was what made this game different. The Warriors were able to make better shots more frequently even though neither team’s defense was particularly good at stopping the opposition. This was especially true when Davis was not available to act as a helper or as a deterrent around the basket or to help slow down some of the Warriors’ cuts and off-ball actions. And when the Lakers tripped on a couple plays in the end that could have further reduced their lead to make them worry a little, their ability to consistently get to better shots paid off.

The Lakers will now have to wait for an update on AD’s health and hope that he will be ready for action when the team plays the Hawks on Monday.