NBA Playoffs: Warriors retaliate, tie series with Lakers at 1-1 after shooting masterpiece

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Golden State Warriors displayed one of its best shooting performances in the NBA Playoffs and equalized their Western Conference semifinal clash with the Los Angeles Lakers after a convincing 127-100 victory last May 5, 2023.

Golden State drilled 21 of their 42 total attempts from the three-point range which became the story of the entire game.

Klay Thompson made sure they’ll fly to Los Angeles with the Game 2 win and top-scored the game with an incredible 30-point performance built from eight made treys out of 11 attempts.

The sweet-shooting guard flipped the switch midway through the second quarter and ended the first half with five triples that also ballooned the Warriors’ lead to double digits.

Golden State survived a waxing-hot start from LeBron James and was looking to score every time he held possession in the first half.

James’ aggressiveness helped the Lakers take a slight lead in the first quarter but after Thompson exploded, Los Angeles never recovered in the second half and failed to trim their deficit to single digits.

The Warriors made a crucial change to their starting lineup after head coach Steve Kerr inserted JaMychal Green as the center instead of Kevon Looney.

Golden State’s minor tweak then proved to be a deciding factor in the game as Green was able to utilize his playing time and put up 15 big points and two assists.

With Stephen Curry joining Thompson in the shooting party late in the third quarter, Lakers’ chief tactician Darvin Ham decided to wave the white flag early in the fourth quarter when the lead swelled to as much as 32 points.

Curry backstopped Thompson with 20 markers built from an efficient 7/12 shooting from the field including 12 assists and four rebounds.

Meanwhile, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins tallied 11 points apiece while backup guard Moses Moody chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Lakers will look to win their first game back home to clinch a 2-1 advantage when they square off again for Game 3 on May 7, 2023.