Golden State Warriors suffered a 118-108 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers at the Chase Center, with the turning point coming when the Lakers managed to neutralize Stephen Curry in the second half. Curry, who had been explosive in the first half, was held scoreless after halftime, finishing with zero points on 0-of-8 shooting. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis dominated the paint and a great performance by NBA star Lebron James, leading the Lakers to a crucial win. Curry spoke postgame about the adjustments the Lakers made to slow him down.
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In his postgame press conference, Curry was asked about his lack of production in the second half. The two-time NBA MVP acknowledged that the Lakers’ defensive strategy played a key role in his poor performance.
“I mean, one, I just gotta play better,” Curry said. “Had a couple of good looks, but they were trying to funnel us into traffic, using their length and size. It really bothered us. Any game where I play like that, it’s going to be hard for us to win. At the end of the day, you’ve got to make adjustments, find space, and knock down the shots you’re supposed to. And I didn’t do that tonight.”
LeBron James on defending Curry
While Curry’s self-critique was focused on execution, LeBron James, who led the Lakers with 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 12 assists, was more candid about the strategy behind limiting the Warriors’ sharpshooter.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks to Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors
“Just hope that he misses. It’s Steph, man,” James said. “You just hope that he misses. Put bodies in front of him and you hope he misses.” Despite Curry’s well-documented ability to exploit any defense, the Lakers’ defensive discipline proved effective. Curry went 0-for-8 from the field in the second half, marking the first time in his career he failed to score in a half with that many attempts.
Anthony Davis dominates as Lakers shine
While Curry struggled, Anthony Davis delivered a dominant performance, finishing with 36 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 assists. His presence in the paint, combined with LeBron’s playmaking, helped the Lakers pull away in the second half.
Davis’ performance helped keep the Warriors at bay, despite a solid outing from Golden State’s other players. Curry’s struggles aside, the Warriors couldn’t overcome Davis’ dominance.
Erik Spoelstra’s perspective on the Lakers’ defensive execution
In his press conference, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised the Lakers‘ defensive execution, particularly their ability to stick to their game plan. “Just staying in front, having a stick hand up, not allowing separation,” Spoelstra said. “We did a great job on and off the ball. I thought our guys, again, for the second straight game, showed great discipline and trust in the game plan, and then went out and executed at an extremely high level.”
