Disastrous second quarter sinks Warriors as Lakers cruise to Game 3 win
The Warriors have 48 hours from Saturday's meltdown to regroup for Game 4 Monday at Crypto.com Arena.
LOS ANGELES — The Warriors started to create separation early in the second quarter, pulling ahead by 11 points Saturday night.
And then it all fell apart.
It started with a Stephen Curry turnover at the 7:35 mark in the second quarter and ended with him sitting on the bench early in the fourth, shaking his head as he looked at the floor with a towel hanging over his head.
The Warriors would eventually fall 127-97 to the Los Angeles Lakers, dropping 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Warriors overcame an early double figure lead to take a seven-point advantage into the second quarter. But Golden State lost its composure and rhythm, resulting in an epic second-quarter collapse.
The Lakers thumped the Warriors with a 30-8 run over the last 7:53 of the second quarter to take an 11-point lead at the half.
The Warriors didn’t do themselves any favors during the home team rally. Draymond Green and JaMychal Green were each assessed technical fouls, Moses Moody was called for a Flagrant 1 foul and Donte DiVincenzo was whistled for a defensive three-second violation.
By halftime, the Lakers had attempted 21 free throws — 15 in the second quarter alone — to the Warriors’ six tries from the foul line.
Golden State couldn’t stop the bleeding in the second half. The Lakers opened the third with an 8-2 run and never looked back.
Coach Steve Kerr challenged Draymond Green’s fourth personal foul but was unsuccessful. A visibly frustrated Green went to the bench at the 6:54 mark of the third quarter after picking up his fifth.
With the Warriors trailing 26 with 9:11 to go in the fourth, Kerr pulled his starters and called it a night.
Curry led the Warriors with 23 points but went 9 of 12 from the field and 4 of 10 from 3-point land. Andrew Wiggins had 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists and Klay Thompson contributed 15 points and seven rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Warriors’ careless turnovers and fouls.
The free throw discrepancy was more glaring than Game 1. The Lakers went 15 for 31 from the foul line, compared to the Warriors, who shot 12 of 17.
Los Angeles also scored a whopping 27 points of the Warriors’ 19 giveaways.
After being a non-factor in Game 2, Anthony Davis made his presence felt. Davis scored 16 of his 25 points in the first half and grabbed 13 rebounds.
Former Warriors guard D’Angelo Russell got the Lakers’ offense humming early, scoring 13 of the team’s first 17 points. He finished with 21 on 8 of 13 shooting. Meanwhile, LeBron James didn’t take a single shot in the opening quarter for the first time in his 275 playoff games. He got it going in the second before ending the night with 21 points.
After slapping the Lakers with 43 and 41 points in the second and third quarters of the Warriors’ Game 2 win, Golden State recorded a total of 38 points in the second and third quarters of Saturday’s loss.
The Warriors have 48 hours from Saturday’s meltdown to regroup for Game 4 on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.