Los Angeles officially clinched a playoff spot after defeating the Golden State Warriors 103-100 thanks to a magnificent run by LeBron James.
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The most anticipated matchup of the 2021 NBA tournament lived up to top billing. Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers put on a thrilling show. At stake was the No. 7 slot in the Western Conference. The winner would go on to play against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. In the end, it was the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers who held on for a 103-100 win.
LeBron James hit the game-winning three-pointer to cap off his triple-double and help Los Angeles to a playoff-clinching victory. The former MVP finished with 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 10 assists while Anthony Davis chipped in with 25 points and 12 rebounds to help Los Angeles’ cause.
This game delivered on every level as LeBron James and Stephen Curry came up clutch for their respective teams to bring us to the conclusion. With the Lakers moving on to face the Phoenix Suns, the Warriors will now have to shift their focus to another game on Friday night to keep their postseason hopes alive.
The Lakers were down 13 in the game, the Lakers no longer had time to experiment. They had to settle on their best groups or face elimination, and from the middle of the third quarter onward, they used only seven players. James and Davis were no surprises.
Neither were Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Alex Caruso. Those were arguably the three most important role players on last season’s championship team, and when the chips were down, Vogel trusted them again. They delivered, shooting a combined 50 percent from the floor while providing stellar defence and rebounding.
The game was won on a three-pointer by James, a somewhat fitting way for him to beat Curry, history’s greatest shooter. This game was a role reversal in more ways than one. Obviously, James and Curry’s postseason meetings exclusively came in the Finals prior to this game. This time around, it came in the first-ever play-in tournament, about as far away from the Finals as it could get.
Curry has been carrying the undermanned Warriors team this entire season. Against James’ Lakers, Curry nearly won the game with 37 huge points. But James had Davis supporting him down the stretch. Curry had to generate almost everything by himself. It just goes to show how important context is when debating individual players. When James and Curry faced off in the past, the best team won, not the best player.
