On paper, Sunday night’s first game between old rivals LeBron James and Steph Curry looked fantastic. In fact, it was a big disappointment. The Los Angeles Lakers took a 20-point lead after the first quarter and sailed after a rather boring 117-91 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
LeBron James finished in just 24 minutes with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists as he took down most of the second half. Markieff Morris, Dennis Schroder, Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma and Talen Horton-Tucker all scored double figures in a true team effort.
As for the Warriors, Eric Paschall, with 18 points, was their leading scorer, which is actually all you need to know from their perspective. With Draymond Green knocked out of the game due to a sprained ankle, head coach Steve Kerr dropped the white flag fairly early.
Here are some key takeaways from the Lakers’ big win:
Lakers get back on track
The Lakers have not been good for the past few weeks. Anthony Davis suffered a calf injury that would keep him awake for a while after the All-Star break, and shortly after he had a season-high four-game losing streak. But now things are starting to look up again.
It was just the kind of dominant performance they needed to rejuvenate the group. They jumped to a 20-point lead after the first quarter and were able to shoot down the rest of the way. After scoring heavy minutes this month, LeBron James only had to play 24 in this one – a lowest season.
The winners of two in a row put the Lakers back in second place in the Western Conference. If they can score a few more wins this week, they could go on a high note at halftime.
Green goes down
Late in the first half, Draymond Green was returning to the defensive line and made a nice play to force Kentavious Caldwell-Pope into a missed setup. Unfortunately, the two got a little entangled on the landing, and Green rolled his ankle as he stepped on Caldwell-Pope’s foot.
Initially, he tried to walk it off and told the bench he did not want to get out of the game, but it soon became impossible. He went back to locker room and did not show up for the second half, and at that point the team announced that he would stay the rest of the game.
It’s still too early to know how long he will be sidelined, but it would not be surprising to see the Warriors be careful and just put him through the All-Star break. This way he gets almost two full weeks of free time and can hopefully recharge again for the second half of the season.
Schroder shows his influence
Much of the coverage over the past few weeks has focused on Anthony Davis’ absence, and with good reason. But he was not the only important member of the Lakers on the sidelines. Dennis Schroder was also out due to an incident in the league’s health and safety records and missed four games – losing everything to LA
He did not set crazy figures against the Warriors – 12 points, three rebounds and six assists in 25 minutes – but he once again showed the impact he has on this team. It’s no surprise that the attack on Lakers Sunday was more dynamic, as the offensive rating for the season plus-9.1 points per 100 possessions was higher with Schroder on the field.
Despite all their talent, the Lakers do not have many players who can create outside of James and Davis. And when Schroder was also outside, their offense really came to a standstill. His speed allows him to get into the lane, where he can put pressure on the defense in a way that many of his teammates cannot. From there, he can score himself, get to the line or kick the ball out for teammates.