The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors put on a show in Game 1 of their playoff series on Tuesday night, and LeBron James and Stephen Curry both played starring roles.
James put in a solid 22 points, 11 boards, four assists and three blocks in the game. Curry led a near comeback late in the fourth quarter and finished with 27 points, six boards and three assists.
He shot lights out from deep, hitting six of his 13 attempts.
Following the Lakers win, Curry was understandably somber at the media table talking to members of the press. One highlight of the interview was when a reporter asked him about James following him all the way to the Warriors’ bench during the game.
Steph talked about LeBron following him to the bench 😅 pic.twitter.com/m0cs7MQwY5
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 3, 2023
“He was just joking around about having to guard me all the way till I got to the bench,” Curry said with a straight face.
Though James made the joke, the player who shone the most while guarding Curry in the game was Lakers defensive specialist Jarred Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt put the clamps on the two-time MVP and came away with something of a signature game on that side of the court.
Vanderbilt finished the game with eight points, six boards, two assists, two steals and two blocks. He was constantly in Curry’s face and made life extremely tough for the star guard.
With Game 1 in the books, the Lakers now have home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series. Even if they lose Game 2 on Thursday, they’ll have to feel good about their chances.
The teams will play Thursday before a quick trip down south to battle in Los Angeles for Game 3 and Game 4. If Vanderbilt can continue to defend Curry like he did in Game 1, the Lakers chances of ending the series in less than seven games might be pretty good.
That will be especially true if James and Anthony Davis can continue to lead the way for the Purple and Gold. Davis was a monster on Tuesday night and put in a historic performance.
He clocked 44 minutes on Tuesday and finished with 30 points, 23 boards, five assists and four huge blocks.
The Lakers seem to be clicking at almost every level at the moment. Hopefully they can steal another win in Game 2 and put this series in total control.
