The Golden State Warriors crushed the Los Angeles Lakers 127-100 Thursday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals, ending the playoff series in a 1-1 tie.
Klay Thompson hit a Warriors game-high 30 and shot 8-for-11 from 3-point range. Steve Curry had 20 points for the Warriors while facing double teams for most of the game. He made the Lakers pay for that strategy with his passing, dishing out 12 assists in front of a sellout crowd at San Francisco’s Chase Center.
LeBron James led the Lakers with 23 points, while Anthony Davis had 11 points and seven rebounds after his 30-point and 23-rebound performance in Game 1.
James and Davis remained on the bench in the fourth quarter, as did the rest of the Lakers’ players, during the blowout.
“Our offense was flowing, staff turnover low, open man hitting. We’re keeping it simple, the floodgates can open,” Thompson told ESPN during a post-game interview.
Game three of the best-of-seven series will be played Saturday in Los Angeles.
“I fully expect our team to respond in the right way,” said Lakers coach Darvin Hamm.
On Thursday, James started for the Lakers with 14 first-quarter points as Los Angeles led 33-26.
But the Warriors opened the second quarter 10-2 and took the lead in the game, steadily increasing their lead and continuing to swell.
The Lakers’ frustration was evident, as assistant coach Phil Handy suffered a technical foul in the second quarter and James suffered a technical foul in the third quarter.
“We were there early neck and neck,” Hamm said. “But some possessions got away from us there early and I thought they did a good job jamming the paint.”
JaMychal Green, a Warriors reserve who started in place of an ailing Kevon Looney, provided a spark with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor. As a team, the Warriors have made 21 of their 42 3-point attempts, compared to the Lakers’ 10 (on 34 attempts).
This article originally appeared in the USA TODAY: The Warriors defeat the Lakers in Game 2 through the second round of the series