Stephen Curry, 11 points, and LeBron James, 9 points, go blow for blow at the start of the match, but it is the Lakers, taking advantage of five lost balls from the Warriors and the domination of Anthony Davis (29 points, 13 rebounds , 4 blocks) near the circle, which took the lead (33-30).
Steve Kerr needs to revive his starting five to see Golden State gain the upper hand. Their defense forces three turnovers, Jonathan Kuminga (22 points, 9 rebounds) and Andrew Wiggins (22 points) wake up, and 50% 3-point skill allows them to go in front (54-50). LeBron James then takes matters into his own hands. He scores the last 7 points for Los Angeles and the Lakers end the half with an 18-9 (68-63).
The Dubs got back on track immediately, starting the second half with a devastating 24-5 (88-73)! In the process, Anthony Davis, victim of a knee strike from Draymond Green (8 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists) in the family jewels, must return to the locker room. This is the moment LeBron James chose to air-condition the Chase Center.
A superb crossover
The “King”, well supported by Austin Reaves (17 points), launches a 14-0 which erases the deficit of the Lakers (88-87). These are two award-winning shots from Klay Thompson (24 points) and Brandin Podziemski in all the good shots which stop the bleeding and give a little air to Golden State (99-91).
The Draymond Green – Klay Thompson duo does not release the pressure, but the return of Anthony Davis brings the Lakers back to -2 (107-105). Stephen Curry responds but the Warriors gradually begin to thwart, letting the Lakers take the lead on a winning shot from D'Angelo Russell (28 points) with less than two minutes to play (115-114)!
While the Lakers seemed to be heading towards victory, two layups from Stephen Curry in the last twenty seconds sent the two teams into overtime (118-118).
The extra period is dominated by LeBron James and Stephen Curry. The two superstars go blow for blow, before a 3-pointer from Klay Thompson gives us five more minutes (130-130)! The Lakers take a five-point lead but the “Splash Brothers” pass an 8-0 to their opponents, including two winning shots from elsewhere to regain the advantage (141-139). D'Angelo Russell responds to put the Lakers at +2 but Stephen Curry gives the Warriors the advantage with a 3-pointer 5 seconds from the buzzer (144-143)! Unfortunately for the Warriors, they fumbled their last defense and Draymond Green was forced to foul LeBron James with one second left. The “King” does not tremble and the Lakers leave Chase Center with a capital victory!
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Warriors' predictable five-major change. After two major performances from Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga in the last two games, Steve Kerr decided to start the two players in place of Kevon Looney and Dario Saric. The Curry – Thompson – Wiggins – Kuminga – Green five has been the best combination for Golden State in the last two games and performed well tonight, especially at the start of the third quarter to pass the Lakers 24-5. Despite the loss, the Warriors finally seem to have found a solid five they can build on.
– LeBron James put the Lakers on his shoulders. At -15 and with Anthony Davis in the locker room, LeBron James left his mark on the match to put his team back in the game. He went on a 14-0 run, and took charge in overtime to lead the Lakers to victory. He scored 12 of his 36 points in overtime and finished the game with 48 minutes played and a 110th career triple-double, all at age 39. Amazing !
– The Stephen Curry – LeBron James duel like in the good old days. It wasn't about the Finals, where they met five times. It wasn't a conference semi-final, like last season. It was simply a game between two teams fighting to grab the play-in. And yet, this last duel between LeBron James and Stephen Curry was simply incredible. At 39 and 35, the two superstars went blow for blow during two crazy overtimes. LeBron James scored 12 of the Lakers' 27 points, Stephen Curry 15 of the Warriors' 26 points. While the leader thought he would give his team victory with a shot from 9 meters. LeBron James outbid himself with the two free throws for the victory. Amazing…
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
