The Lakers won another game to take their lead 2-1 in the NBA Playoffs against Blazers. It was a terrific duo performance by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who extensively took control of the victory.
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The match was played with a close score gap until Lakers took over in the second half to a 116-108 win over Blazers. LeBron James did most of the job in the first half, recording 38 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists by the end of the game.
LeBron was picking achievements side-by-side. He became the third player with most threes in Playoffs history, surpassing Klay Thompson. LeBron was shooting 11/18 from the field and knocked four buckets from the deep.
To add to LeBron’s efforts, Anthony Davis was a complete package for the Lakers last night. AD was everywhere with the offense, defense, blocks, and assists. He completely owned the latter half of the game, bagging 29 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 blocks in Game 3.
While making buckets is rarely a concern for Davis, as he was at the top of his blocking game. Around three minutes to halftime, Damian Lillard was driving in to take the small Blazers’ lead forward. However, he failed with a distasteful shot block from AD.
That’s when most knew – Davis was in form. He wasn’t fooling around in the Playoffs and every day wasn’t going to be like Game 1.
"AD has that ability to turn it on with his aggressiveness and was super in the second half." Frank Vogel on AD and LeBron taking over the game and key takeaways with @LakersReporter. pic.twitter.com/oMJhaGv3bD
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) August 23, 2020
Lakers coach defends Davis’ first-half performance against Blazers
Lakers coach, Frank Vogel, was impressed with AD’s first-half game as well. Vogel gave a different perspective on what Davis was doing on the court.
“He (AD) was just playing to make the right play in first half. He really moved the ball, had lot of assists, got guys involved.”
Young Lakers bench player, Alex Caruso, is growing as a great player for the team. His timely contributions have helped Davis immensely.
“I thought Alex Caruso was great in the pick-and-roll- game, delivering the ball to Anthony in a timely fashion…AD has that ability to turn it on with his aggressiveness and was super in the second half.”
Caruso was out there on the defensive end, taking on Lillard for a long time. His efforts did end well for Lakers. Lillard couldn’t pick up his game in the last quarter, despite totaling 34 points.
Vogel must have foreseen LeBron’s playoff game gear up. He “loved” it.
“I loved his (LeBron) game. He was in attack mode. He was living in the paint, living at the rim, and seeking contact. And trying to just play the power game that he’s been so accustomed to.”
