The Los Angeles Lakers earned yet another statement win against a quality opponent on Tuesday when they beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, 117-112.
Los Angeles dominated inside to the tune of a 54-28 advantage in points in the paint, and they also attempted 23 more free throws and blocked seven more shots. Anthony Davis was unstoppable with 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots, and the team is increasingly looking like a legitimate championship contender.
However, a big problem continued in Game 1. It was still unable to hit from 3-point range, as it went just 6-of-25 from the land of plenty.
LeBron James, who went 1-of-8 from that distance, was the biggest culprit. However, he was far from the only one. D’Angelo Russell, who had a very good game in every other respect, was 1-of-5, Davis missed both of his attempts and only Austin Reaves hit more than one trey.
Granted, the Lakers aren’t exactly a high-volume 3-point shooting team. They ranked 25th in 3-point attempts in the regular season and are 11th in that category so far in the playoffs among the 16 teams that qualified. But if they don’t start connected on their long-range shots, it will have bad consequences.
Expect opposing teams such as the Warriors to double-team Davis and leave players such as Russell, Dennis Schroder and Jarred Vanderbilt open from the perimeter. The Lakers will need to hit often enough from downtown to dissuade teams from collapsing in the middle and negating their biggest advantage, which is scoring in the paint.
They also need to play faster during the fourth quarter, especially when they have a lead, and get into their offense earlier if they don’t have anything in transition. That way, they will not have to end up hoisting a contested 3-pointer near the end of the shot clock.
Through seven playoff games, the Lakers are shooting just 30.2% from downtown, which ranks 15th among the teams that made the playoffs.
But if the Lakers start hitting a respectable amount of their 3-point attempts while Davis continues to dominate inside, they should have a real shot at hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June.
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