BBNBA: Anthony Davis, Lakers blown out in Game 2 loss to Warriors

ZGeogheganKSR

Just a few days ago, Anthony Davis looked like a top 5 player in the entire world. The former Kentucky Wildcat dropped 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks for the Los Angeles Lakers in a massive Game 1 road victory over the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Davis shot 14-23 overall from the field and outshined both LeBron James and Steph Curry as he dominated both ends of the floor.

But just 48 hours later in the exact same building, Davis looked like a complete shell of himself. During Thursday night’s Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Davis was stifled from start to finish. He recorded just 11 points (5-11 FG), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and three blocks while also turning the ball over four times in 33 minutes of action. He posted a -22 in the plus/minus category as the Lakers were blown out from the second quarter on.

Los Angeles actually held a 33-26 lead after the opening period but was outscored by 18 points in the second (41-23) and then by 19 in the third. (43-24) It was the first time in Warriors franchise history that they’ve scored at least 40 points in two quarters during a playoff game.

Also for the Lakers, one-time ‘Cats Jarred Vanderbilt and Wenyen Gabriel saw some minutes. Vanderbilt, who has been a regular starter for L.A. since being traded during the middle of the season, equally struggled, adding just six points and six rebounds in his 20 minutes. After successfully limiting Curry in Game 1, Vando didn’t have nearly as much luck the second time around. Gabriel saw just two minutes of action for the Lakers, failing to record any stats.

When the smoke had cleared after Klay Thompson’s 30 points (on eight made triples) and Curry’s 20 points and 12 assists, the Warriors came away with a 127-100 win to knot the series at 1-1. Game 3 will now shift to L.A. on Saturday night with an 8:30 p.m. EST tip time on ABC.

5/4/23 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Anthony Davis (LAL)	100-127 L @ GSW	11	5-11	7	4	1	3	4	-22	33
Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL)	100-127 L @ GSW	6	2-7 (1-2)	6	1	0	0	1	-10	20
Wenyen Gabriel (LAL)	100-127 L @ GSW	0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	-8	2