Five takeaways from the Warriors' Game 2 blowout of the Lakers

Just as has been the case throughout his 10-year NBA career, Thompson looked sharp with his rhythm, his touch and his shot. He finished with 30 points while shooting 11-for-18 from the field and 8-for-11 from three-point range, marking the sixth career playoff game where he made at least eight three-point shots.

But this one had to feel different. Thompson won his first playoff game against a team he grew up idolizing. After playing as a key piece of the Showtime Lakers during their second act, Klay’s father (Mychal) has since served as the Lakers’ radio analyst.

During that time, Mychal brought a young Klay to Laker games where he met the late Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and others on the Lakers’ championship teams in the early 2000s. Nearly 11 years ago, Thompson relished matching up with Bryant as a rookie. And playing against the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs figures to be a dream come true both for Klay and Mychal Thompson.

The Warriors’ offense featured a different identity with Thompson as the primary scorer on Thursday. Thompson scored mostly in catch-and-shoot opportunities, which require plenty of off-ball movement, efficient dribbling and a quick dribble.

That took pressure off of Stephen Curry, who had 20 points while going 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-5 from deep. Curry added 12 assists, mostly because of Thompson’s makes. Golden State is of course dangerous when Curry carries the team offensively. But Thompson’s strong play reduced the pressure on Curry and also made the Warriors more unpredictable.

Anthony Davis had a quiet night

The Lakers have said it so many times. Their success and failure mostly hinges on how consistently healthy and aggressive Davis can be. So two days after a dominant Game 1 performance, Davis had a quiet night in Game 2, with 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting and seven rebounds. He had more turnovers (four) than blocks (three) and just as many assists (four). And he only had one free-throw attempt (at least he made it).

Sure, the Warriors improved their defense with their smaller lineup. Sure, LeBron James picked up some of Davis' scoring slack with 23 points while shooting 10-for-18 overall and 3-for-8 from deep. Sure, the Lakers could do a better job in setting Davis up with the ball.

But this mostly falls on the big man. He has to be aggressive to make this all work, regardless of the Warriors’ defensive coverages, play calls or anything else. He is too talented to allow circumstance to dictate how well he plays.

Warriors made a lineup switch

Golden State made a personnel adjustment for Game 2, but this one did not seem anticipated. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr started JaMychal Green in place of center Kevon Looney, who was feeling off (per the team). That didn’t stop Looney from playing, though. He came off the bench for six points and eight rebounds in 12 minutes.

But Green’s start seemed surprising for two reasons. He only played for a total of 23 minutes in the Warriors’ seven-game playoff series against the Sacramento Kings. And Kerr could have used athletic second-year forward Jonathan Kuminga to give another look on Davis as part of the Warriors’ smaller lineup.

Regardless, the lineup switch worked. Green finished with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting and went 3-for-6 from deep in just 13 minutes. That move opened up the Warriors’ offense, with the improved spacing stemming from the starting lineup. Not only did that help the Warriors produce on the offensive end, it limited Davis’ defensive impact at the rim since the Warriors’ smaller lineup forced him also to defend out on the perimeter.

It remains to be seen if Kerr will make this switch permanently. Looney might reclaim his spot once his illness goes away. This could at least ensure Green enters the playoff rotation for this series, though. 

Lakers got some early rest, anyway

It might be fair to wonder if the fatigue got the best of the Lakers in Game 2. They played two days after a Game 1 which featured Davis (44 minutes) and James (40) logging  heavy workloads in landing the first punch of the series. Mission accomplished, but that may have influenced their poor Game 2 play. The silver lining? The game was so lopsided that the Lakers received early rest.

With the Warriors holding a 110-80 lead entering the fourth quarter, Lakers coach Darvin Ham emptied his bench. That gave James and Davis, in particular, some additional recovery time. Davis (33 minutes) and James (28) should look sharper in Game 3 on Saturday in LA.

Free-throw discrepancy reduced

Just like in Game 1, the Warriors did not receive many foul calls. Unlike in Game 1, the Lakers, either. The Warriors went 10-for-16 from the line, while the Lakers shot 10-for-17. That marks a huge difference when compared with what the Lakers shot in Game 1 (25-for-29). The Warriors only went 5-for-6 in Game 1.

The Lakers had fewer trips to the line in Game 2 for a few reasons. Davis had an ineffective game. The Warriors didn’t fall into early foul trouble. And the Lakers shot more threes in Game 2 (10-for-34) than in Game 1 (6-for-25). Though it’s a good sign for the Lakers that they improved their outside shooting, it also illustrates that the Lakers are more effective when they’re driving to the basket and drawing contact.