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The LA Lakers were annihilated by the Golden State Warriors in the second game of a doubleheader on the opening day of the new season. After a surprisingly tight first 24 minutes, the Warriors went full throttle in the third quarter and left the Lakers in the dust to win 123-109.
Tim Legler, on ESPN’s "Get Up," shared his verdict on the Lakers’ performance:
“This team doesn’t play with any passion. They did not look to me like they believed they belonged on that court with the Golden State Warriors.
"It was a series of individual playmaking from LeBron and AD mainly. Westbrook had a decent night numbers-wise. The rest of the roster, they’re just out there logging minutes.”
The Golden State Warriors looked like they were sleepwalking through the first half after an emotional ring ceremony. They couldn’t get open shots to fall, which was a big reason the game stayed competitive early on.
The third quarter, however, was an entirely different story as the Warriors showed the LA Lakers how far ahead they are. Legler, a former NBA player, continued his assessment of the Lakers:
“At no point did it look like they were up on their toes. Where they thought, ‘We’re out here tonight for a slugfest with this team to prove who we are early in the season.'
"They looked like they caved pretty easily when the Warriors went on a run in the third quarter. … Based on what I saw last night, they’re miles away from being a legitimate contender.”
The LA Lakers’ Big Three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook combined for 77 points. The rest of the roster contributed 32, showing just how reliant the Lakers were on their starters.
LA also coughed up the ball on too many occasions. They committed 22 turnovers, 12 of which were from James, Davis and Westbrook. James admitted in the postgame interview that they could have a hard time winning games if they continue to be careless with possessions.
LA Lakers’ lack of shooting was put on display early and often against the Golden State Warriors
Nobody predicted the LA Lakers to be a good 3-point shooting team, but their performance against the Golden State Warriors was just horrible. At one point, the Lakers were 1 for 10 from long range, with only Russell Westbrook hitting one 3-pointer.
The reason the game was close in the first half was due to the Warriors’ sloppy execution rather than the Lakers’ performance. LA made only three of their 21 3-point attempts in the first half. They ended the night going 10 of 40 from beyond the arc.
When the Golden State Warriors tidied things up in the third quarter, the gap between the two teams was just too obvious. Steph Curry repeatedly carved the LA Lakers defense with simple back cuts and pick-and-rolls.
LeBron James tried to will the Lakers back into the game in the fourth quarter when the Warriors took their foot off the gas pedal. Curry, however, made mincemeat of the Lakers’ defense and kept the Tinseltown squad at bay with timely hits.
