Getty Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers grabs a rebound over Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.
Klay Thompson didn’t hold back after the Golden State Warriors got pounded by the Los Angeles Lakers 127-97 in Game 3 of their Western Conference Semifinal series on Saturday.
The veteran sharpshooter sounded off in his postgame press conference over the lopsided loss.
“I think we are a very tough team and we got punked tonight, unfortunately,” Thompson said. “On the boards, on the glass, or at the free throw line.”
It was an unfortunate homecoming for Thompson, who had been looking forward to playing the Lakers at home. Thompson grew up in Southern California and his father, Mychal Thompson, played for the Lakers during his lengthy NBA career, winning a pair of titles.
“Warriors-Lakers, it’s been a long time since they’ve seen each other in the playoffs. I know I’m personally excited. I get to play in front of my father and my mother and some of my best friends and go down to SoCal after our home stand,” Thompson told reporters prior to the series. “It’s just a dream come true. I’ve waited for this for 12 years.”
Thompson had a particularly rough night, cooling off after a big performance in Game 2. He scored 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting, hitting just 33% of his 3-pointers.
Lakers Defense Key to Victory in Game 3
The Lakers were the ones getting punked in Game 2, with the Warriors shooting 50% from deep and running away with the matchup in the second half. But Lakers superstar LeBron James was adamant that their defense was better than that and it showed as LA took a 2-1 edge.
“We’re one of the best defensive teams in the league, if not the best,” James said. “For us to reach our potential, we have to defend at a high level. Not one team in this league tests you more in that than Golden State, so we have to be alert for a test on every single possession.”
The Lakers also got a massive performance out of Anthony Davis, who finished with 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting, adding 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks. Davis had just 11 points and 7 rebounds in Game 2. Davis said he wasn’t dragged down by any of the critics following the lackluster outing.
“I’m not on social media,” Davis said. “My teammates are not talking about it, my circle, my inner circle is not talking about it, so I have not [heard about it]. It’s crazy.”
Lakers Expect ‘Battle to the End’ With Warriors
The lopsided win doesn’t have the Lakers feeling comfortable. The Warriors made some significant adjustments after their Game 1 loss and LA doesn’t expect them to go away easily.
“Make no mistake about it, the deficit, us winning by whatever, 30 doesn’t represent who that team really is. Just like losing Game 2 doesn’t represent who we are,” Ham said. “This is going to be a battle to the end.”
James has told his younger teammates not to listen to the noise from outside the locker room in the media. The playoffs come with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, which the Lakers have experienced over the last week.
“You win a game, everybody is the greatest player in the world; you lose a game, they’re throwing dirt on you. It’s literally that simple. It’s all about training your mind for the next challenge. And, ‘What’s the next challenge? This game is over with, we played well. OK, cool. But we got another on Monday.'”
Game 4 is scheduled for Monday at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers are a 3.5-point favorite.