Lakers Coach Darvin Ham Sends Message on Looming ‘Dogfight’ With Warriors

Gett Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham reacts during Game 1 of his team's Western Conference Semifinal matchup with the Golden State Warriors.

The rollercoaster ride that is Golden State Warriors basketball in 2022-23 continued its natural progression during Game 3 of the team’s Western Conference semifinal series against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. That is to say, the firing-on-all-cylinders vibes of Game 2 gave way to startling ineptitude.

Meanwhile, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell did their best Steph-Klay-Dray impression, logging a combined 67 points, 24 rebounds and 16 assists to lead the Lake Show to a 127-97 dismantling of the Dubs. As a result, Golden State finds itself in a 2-1 hole in the matchup.

Game 3’s free-throw (and foul call) disparity has been a point of contention in the fan chatter, as the Warriors attempted just 17 foul shots (compared to 37 for the Lakers). However, Stephen Curry’s crew had a particularly poor shooting day, too, connecting at just a 39.6% clip overall and going 13-for-44 from deep. The Dubs also racked up 19 turnovers on the night and were stymied on the defensive end.

All of that notwithstanding, Lakers coach Darvin Ham is stressing that the Warriors are far from down and out in the matchup.

Lakers’ Darvin Ham Says the Warriors Aren’t the Team We Saw During Their Saturday Loss

Asked whether he was surprised by the lopsided nature of the contest during his postgame media availability, Ham chalked it up to the ebbs and flows that occur nightly in the NBA.

“Things happen…” Ham said of the result, via ESPN. “We tried to force them into some difficult situations and we look up, the game gets out of hand a little bit. But, make no mistake about it, the deficit and us winning by, whatever — 30, doesn’t represent who that team really is…”

Ham made note of the fact that his squad was on the other side of this exact scenario just 48 hours earlier. And he expects a similar bounce-back from the Warriors when the two teams reconvene for Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena.

“This is going to be a battle to the end, man… you can’t rest on your laurels. That’s a hell of a team; they’re the defending champions for a reason and we’re thankful to get this one but, come Monday, we’re going to have a dogfight on our hands,” Ham added. “You start feeling comfortable or complacent, [the Warriors] are gonna burn you every time.

“We definitely have to stay on our toes… Each game is its own entity and you have to prepare as such.”

Klay Thompson Speaks Out on His LA Return

During the Warriors’ then-series-tying win over the Lakers on Thursday, Klay Thompson was the bell cow for the blue and gold crew, scoring 30 points and drilling eight three-point shots. His night couldn’t have been more different on Saturday, as the Splash bro shot 5-of-14 from the field en route to a 15-point performance.

Setting that sudden, downward shift and the rough result for his team aside, Thompson still got a kick out of playing in his home city in front of friends and family.

“Despite the outcome, it was great. Despite my performance, it’s still an awesome thing for me to do. I mean, I get to go see my mom and dad right now, my nephew and my brother… it’s still something I don’t take for granted,” Thompson said, via House of Highlights.

“I’ll enjoy it even more Monday  because I’m looking forward to a bounce-back performance — not only for myself but the whole team.”