With the Los Angeles Lakers lacking some big-man depth, LeBron James made sure veteran center Tristan Thompson was locked in for their series against the Golden State Warriors.
The Lakers were without Mo Bamba, who is dealing with a nagging ankle injury. Anthony Davis ended up playing 44 minutes to help hold down the fort, with Wenyen Gabriel playing some scattered minutes.
Thompson was signed prior to the start of the postseason and hasn’t played a minute with the Lakers — or in the NBA this season. But if there was another injury or foul trouble, Thompson would be next up on the depth chart.
Prior to Game 1, TNT sideline reporter Chris Haynes said that James told Thompson to “be prepared to dust those cobwebs off your shoes, just in case we need you tonight.”
Fortunately, Thompson wasn’t needed but there might not be a lot of nights where Davis — who is dealing with a hip injury — cannot play almost a full game with Bamba still on the sideline.
A large part of the Lakers’ success against the Warriors came in the paint, outscoring the defending champs 54-28 there. The Lakers will want to stay big to maintain that dominance, so perhaps Thompson gets the call at some point to eat some minutes.
Anthony Davis Feasting Against Warriors
Davis put up a monster stat line in Game 1, registering 30 points and 23 rebounds. The Warriors didn’t have an answer for the Lakers star big man but Davis credited his teammates for putting him in a position to thrive.
“The guys gave the ball to me in the right spots,” Davis said. “A lot of it came out of pick-and-roll, post-ups, some offensive rebounds. Just being aggressive when I do catch, looking to score, looking to [make the play] to the other guys.”
Davis also made an impact on the defensive end, notching four blocks and clogging up the lane when the Warriors did decide to drive to the rim instead of shooting from outside. It played a role in the Warriors chucking up 53 3-point attempts, which they hit at a 39.6% clip.
“He’s one of the few guys that can defend laterally and vertically,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “By that I mean he can get down in the stands and move his feet, keep a guard in front of him, force a tough, contested shot.
“I knew watching him during his days in New Orleans, watching him in the bubble, he’s an elite defender.”
Lakers Star LeBron James Credits Resiliency for Big Game 1 Win
GettyAnthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers have hit their stride at the right time and look unrecognizable compared to their 2-10 start to the season. But that early hole put the Lakers in must-win situations for an extended period of time down the stretch of the regular season, which James thinks helped them when the postseason rolled around
“We’ve been playing playoff basketball for about 2 1/2 months now just to punch our clock to be able to play right now in the postseason,” James said. “We were very resilient tonight. … We know how great they are on their home floor, so to withstand that, it’s another good step for our ballclub.”
The Lakers are 5-point underdogs against the Warriors for Game 2 on Thursday.
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Lakers Star LeBron James Issues Warning to Veteran Teammate