'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABiAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABggQAAECBwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEDBQACBAcREhMGIQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAURAQEAAQMFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAAMEEQUhMTJB/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwCjvBa7xbF46pdmptp24pySL7oJ5UPME6nY41MYnRuez8k+7WlMroOhFIkczY+/TMIQgfRUdLVGZrij2kXuc+XKm4upYB+Of//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Golden State Warriors obliterated LeBron James and the LA Lakers 127-100 in Game 2 to even their second-round conference semi-finals series. LA had no answer to the avalanche of points the defending NBA champs threw at them on Thursday night.
Dub Nation didn't wait long to troll James and his team after the blowout victory.
"WHERE THE LAKER FANS AT"
LeBron James and the LA Lakers started hot in the first quarter, outscoring the Golden State Warriors 33-26. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson took over the rest of the way. The defending champs clobbered the Lakers 101-67 in the next three quarters.
The demolition started in the second period with Golden State's 41-23 edge. More of the same happened in the third quarter when the Warriors ran roughshod over the Lakers by 43-24. The last 12 minutes were practically a scrimmage with mostly bench players completing the game.
LeBron James started hot, scoring 21 first-half points. He finished with 23 points, hitting just 1-6 attempts and missing all four of his three-point attempts. Still, "King James" kept the LA Lakers afloat. Once he struggled in the second half, the game was over.
Anthony Davis continues to be frustratingly inconsistent. After dominating the Golden State Warriors with 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in Game 1, he disappeared in Game 2. AD played 33 minutes and finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks and one steal.
The Lakers also couldn't dominate the paint, which was the biggest reason they won the season opener. Golden State crushed them on the boards 55-40 and outscored them in the paint 48-42.
The LA Lakers will likely never outshoot the Warriors in a seven-game series. They played to their strength in Game 1, which was to overwhelm the interior. The Lakers couldn't do that on both ends of the floor on Thursday night and were run out of the building in the process.
The LA Lakers had no answer for the "Splash Brothers"
Stopping Klay Thompson and Steph Curry is the surest way of beating the Golden State Warriors. The LA Lakers contained them in Game 1 but couldn't replicate the same output in Game 2.
Thompson, who waited 12 years to play against the Lakers in the postseason, was a nightmare to defend. He had 30 points on 11-18 shooting, including 8-11 from behind the arc.
Austin Reaves who did a good job of contesting several of Thompson's shots, could only shake his head in disbelief.
Steph Curry orchestrated the Golden State Warriors' offense to near perfection. Though he only had 20 points on 7-12 shooting, including 3-5 from deep. Curry added 12 assists and four rebounds.
The LA Lakers' defense was built to stop Curry from beating them. He responded by trusting his teammates and making the right plays. Golden State dished out 38 assists behind Curry's exceptional playmaking to nullify the Lakers' initial leech-like defense.
