With the series tied a 1-1, the Golden State Warriors went to Crypto.com Arena in Hollywood to hunt for an all-important road win against the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, the Warriors’ road win wasn’t going to come on Saturday evening against the Lakers. Despite the Warriors starting strong in the first quarter, LeBron James and Anthony Davis arrived in a big way in the second quarter.
Behind a run to end the first half, the Lakers carried an 11-point lead into the locker room at halftime. In the third frame, the Lakers showed no signs of slowing down as they began to coast to a blowout win over the Warriors, 127-97.
Following the Lakers’ win on Saturday, they carry a controlling 2-1 lead in the second-round series against the Warriors. Before Game 4 on Monday, here’s some thoughts and things to know from Game 3.
Klay Thompson
After dropping 30 points in Game 2, Klay Thompson struggled to find any rhythm in Game 3 on Saturday against the Lakers. Thompson couldn’t find his jumper, shooting 5-of-14 from the field to go along with 3-of-9 from beyond the arc for 15 points in Game 3.
Thompson’s 15-point effort was his second-lowest shooting output of the Warriors’ 2023 playoff run.
While his shot wasn’t falling, Thompson also dished out a game-high six turnovers. Thompson’s six turnovers in Game 3 against the Lakers marked a new postseason career-high for the sharpshooter.
Jordan Poole
While most of the Warriors struggled in Game 3 against the Lakers, Jordan Poole’s quiet playoff run continued on Saturday.
The Warriors’ explosive young scorer notched five points on 2-of-9 from the field and 0-of-4 from beyond the arc. Poole’s five points was his second-lowest scoring performance of the 2023 playoffs. Poole added six assists, but also recorded four turnovers in 22 minutes off the bench.
After helping fuel Golden State’s offense during their run to the title in the 2022 postseason, Poole has tallied over 20 points in just two games. During the 2023 playoffs, Poole is averaging 11.6 points on 35.5% shooting from the floor and 28.8% from deep with 3.6 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game.
Anthony Davis
In both of the Lakers’ wins in the series, Anthony Davis has taken over the frontcourt. In Game 3, the Warriors had trouble finding an answer for the former Kentucky Wildcat.
After slowing him down in Game 2, Davis responded with another impressive double-double performance. Davis dropped 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor with 13 boards, four blocks, three steals and three assists in 33 minutes.
Free Throws
During their win in Game 1, the Lakers hurt the Warriors at the free-throw line. Game 3 was no different.
In Game 3, the Lakers shot 20 more free throws than the Warriors. While the Lakers shot 28-of-37 from the stripe, the Warriors shot 12-of-17 from the line.
Davis alone shot 11-of-12 from the free-throw line. D’Angelo Russell added eight free throw attempts. In nine minutes of action off the bench, Jonathan Kuminga led the Warriors in attempts from the free-throw line with four.
Highlight of the Night:
Via @warriors on Twitter:
😤 ANDREW WIGGINS ‼️ https://t.co/S8ovIx13mI pic.twitter.com/iu1gopjbFv
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 7, 2023
