Warriors vs. Lakers Game 1 Recap!

In Game 1 of the Warriors/ Lakers series in the western conference semi-finals the Lakers won the game by dominating inside the lane with their size and length. Anthony Davis was the main factor in their domination putting up 30 points, 23 rebounds, 4 blocks and 5 assists. Defensively Davis, along with Lebron James and Jared Vanderbilt, kept the Warriors hesitant to penetrate into the paint. James had 3 blocks and Vanderbilt had 2. The Warriors ended up scoring only 28 points in the paint opposed to the 54 scored by the Lakers.

Not only did the Lakers score plenty more points in the paint, but they also shot and scored more free throws. The Lakers shot 25 for 29 from the free throw line while the Warriors shot a mere 5 for 6.

Although the Warriors had a hard time getting shot opportunities in the paint, they did have success from beyond the arc. The Dubs shot a whopping 53 three pointers and converted 21. I’m sure usually when a team makes 21 threes while almost shooting 40% from the 3 three point line, they win, but not yesterday. 

The Warriors are going to have to find a way to get easier buckets. As long as Anhtondy Davis plays up to this standard where he is scoring in the paint, blocking shots, and hoisting down rebounds, the Warriors will have to do more than make a ton of threes to win. There are two big adjustments the Warriors need to make. Stever Kerr has to find a way to free up Steph Curry to not only get the ball more, but to get easier looks. The Lakers assigned Jared Vanderbilt to guard Curry, and when he wasn’t blocking shots, he was racing behind Steph, denying him from receiving the ball. Whenever Step did get the ball, it was very difficult for him to penetrate due to LA’s length. Both Steph and Klay will need to get better quality looks going forward in this series. The Splash Brothers combined to shoot 49 shots, 29 of those being threes. No matter how great Curry and Thompson shoot from beyond the arc, they will need to get some higher quality looks in order to get a victory from this imposing Laker defense. 

Additionally, the Warriors are going to have to get a lot more offensive production out of Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. The Lakers double teamed Steph Curry a ton and he’s going to have to pass out a lot of double teams, but Wiggins and Green need to finish at a higher rate. Wiggins and Green combined to shoot 9 of 23 from the field with only 2 free throw attempts between the both of them.

You have to give credit to the Lakers for playing great team defense though. Also, their point guard tandem of D'Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroeder stepped up huge yesterday. The Lakers received 38 points out of their point guard position to go along with 9 assists and 1 turnover. What’s scary is that Austin Reeves and Rui Hachimura had subpar games. After the All-Star break the Lakers retooled the supporting cast of Lebron and AD, and that change has produced positive dividends so far in the postseason for them. So, knowing that they could’ve received even more production out of their supporting cast is a looming threat for the Warriors. 

The Warriors will make adjustments going into Game 2, but expect the Lakers to approach Game 2 with the same aggressive manner they approached Game 1 with. Get your popcorn ready. This is going to be a great series!