With a 127-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 on Saturday night, the Los Angeles Lakers seized a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series. Anthony Davis had 25 points and 13 rebounds, while a sluggish LeBron James finished with 21 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds.
With a great defensive effort against the defending NBA champions, D’Angelo Russell made five 3-pointers and scored 21 points for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who maintained their home postseason winning streak.
For the first time in his NBA-record 275 playoff appearances, James did not attempt a shot in the opening frame. However, he warmed up in time to guide multiple runs in the second and third frames as Los Angeles grew more and more comfortable.
In a collective disaster for the Warriors, who made 19 turnovers and failed to create a second-half challenge to the Lakers on either end, Stephen Curry had 23 points and Andrew Wiggins had 16 points. After making 21 in each of the previous two games of the series in San Francisco, Golden State shot just 13 for 44 from beyond the arc, making just 10 of those shots when the game was still close.
Monday night in Los Angeles is Game 4.
105 HEAT, 86 KNICKS
AP – MIAMI == Miami defeated New York to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series after Jimmy Butler, who had missed the previous game due to an ankle injury, scored 28 points and Max Strus added 19. The Heat never trailed thanks to 17 points from Bam Adebayo and 12 rebounds from Kyle Lowry for Miami.
With a 3-pointer to start the second quarter, Miami had an 11-point advantage. For the remainder of the game, the margin was double digits.
For New York, Jalen Brunson scored 20 points, while the Knicks also had 15 points from Josh Hart, 14 points from RJ Barrett, and 12 points from Immanuel Quickley, who departed the game in the middle of the fourth quarter after seeming to twist his left ankle. For the Knicks, Julius Randle scored 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Game 4 is on Monday.
