Lakers make it look easy in rout of Warriors on Sunday,
LeBron James laughed as he stepped to the lane and heard Draymond Green jawing in his ear.
Just like old times.
James has been sparring with the Golden State Warriors for years. He knows their trash talking as well as their schemes. And on the good nights, like the one his Lakers had Sunday, their best weapons are words rather than points.
The Lakers wiped the Staples Center floor with the visiting Warriors, trouncing them 117-91 in a laugher that they led by 29 points at halftime -- courtesy of a logo 3-pointer that James threw up at the buzzer.
In a season that has led some fans to bite their nails while counting James’ minutes, the 36-year-old had an early night. For the entire fourth quarter, he iced his knees in flip flops while barking occasional directions from the bench at the garbage time-eaters.
“I sleep better at night,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of his star’s short night, “that’s for sure.”
The theme, though, was balance: Nobody on the team scored more than James’ 19 points, but eight Lakers had at least 9 points. It was the kind of win the Lakers thought they were on their way to back in January, when Golden State erased a 19-point lead for a surprising comeback win.
“Well, they stole one from us here,” Vogel said. “Obviously we want to get ‘em back for it.”
The already dim chances of the Golden State rally were snuffed when the team announced at halftime that Draymond Green had sprained his ankle and would not return.
Even before Green was hurt, James had been making his life miserable. Green entered the game on the most impressive playmaking streak of his career, notching double-digit assists in nine of his 11 previous games. Against the Lakers, he had more turnovers (3) than assists (2) as James seemed to anticipate his every pass.
Though the Lakers seized a double-digit lead less than four minutes in, the true launching point toward a blowout came when they went on a transition-fueled 12-0 to end the first quarter. James had both a steal and a block during the stretch as the Lakers blew up the Warriors’ passing lanes then kept flinging the ball ahead.
“Some of it is ready and react, obviously,” James said. “But to be able to be in a position where you can be there before the actual action takes place because you broke down the film and you watched it, it helps out a lot.”
The 41-point first quarter was tied for the most points the Lakers -- who have struggled with slow starts -- have scored in the opening frame this year.
The aggression showed up in the fast-break points (20), but also at the free throw line where the Lakers piled up a massive 38-19 advantage in attempts. No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman threw up his hands possession after possession, struggling to stay in front of the Lakers cruising toward the rim. Even though Dennis Schröder was just 3 for 9 from the field in his second game back from quarantine, he spurred the Lakers making 6 of 7 free throw attempts and adding six assists -- the Lakers outscored the Warriors by 33 points in his 25 minutes.
Celebrating his 27th birthday, Alex Caruso was one of the role players who stood out with no-hesitation drives and play-making. He finished with 13 points (a season-high), 4 assists and a steal. He also was one of several Lakers to keep a lid on Curry, who was just 5 for 13 shooting for 16 points.
The Warriors’ leading scorer wound up to be Eric Paschall (18 points), who clinched those dubious honors by hitting a 3-pointer over Jared Dudley with 12 seconds remaining in the game.
The playmaking was ushered along by the space of the Lakers finally knocking down 3-pointers: They were 6 for 9 in the first quarter, and finished 11 for 31 in the game -- making the team hopeful that their tanking percentages from behind the arc will climb upward again.
As a whole, the performance felt like an sign pointing to better days ahead, and it was the first true blowout the Lakers have had since Anthony Davis was injured two weeks ago. The team has been repeating the line that they have enough depth to keep winning; On Sunday came the evidence.
“We hit a little rough patch where we lost a couple games in a row and we were just disconnected here or there on a couple possessions and it led to more,” Caruso said. “Wo we’re really just trying to play every possession the new possession and just play as hard as we can and just live with the result. I think we’ve done a really good job of that the last two games.”
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