After escaping the first game of their series against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers responded with a dominant performance, winning 111-88.
Anthony Davis led his team with a performance of 31 points and 11 rebounds.
Due to his team’s dominance, LeBron James was limited to 26 minutes of play. He scored 10 points, in addition to adding six rebounds and seven assists.
After being shut out in Game 1, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope flared up from the three-point line, hitting four of his six attempts.
Blazers point guard Damian Lillard had to leave the game after suffering a dislocation of the index finger of his left hand. Lillard slapped his hand on Davis’ shoe in defensive cover. Despite his start in the 4th quarter, Lilliard led his team with 18 points.
Magnetic resonance examination did not detect any fractures. Several sources report that he should be at his post during the third game of the series which will be played on Saturday.
The Lakers led by 17 points at the half and continued to widen the lead in the third quarter, so the game was already in the Lakers’ pocket by then.
The series is now equal to a match everywhere.
Dort’s return doesn’t change the outcome
James Harden had 21 points and the Houston Rockets defeated the Thunder 111-98 on Thursday, taking a 2-0 lead in their series against Oklahoma City.
The Rockets set an NBA record attempting 56 three-pointers; 19 of them were successful.
Despite all that long-range shooting, Harden said the Rockets won thanks to their defense. The Houston troops limited the Thunder to 39 points in the second half.
“We played well,” he observed. We didn’t shoot the ball so well tonight, but I think our defense, especially in the second half, did an incredible job. We have corrected our mistakes in the first half. “
Former Thunder star Russell Westbrook was once again out for the Rockets with a right hamstring injury. Several of his teammates, however, took over. This was notably the case of Danuel House Jr., who amassed 19 points.
“It’s not pride, it’s just the energy of the team,” House said. We want to make sure the guys don’t just think about themselves so there is a great energy on and off the pitch. “
In the Thunder, Luguentz Dort was back in action after two games on the sidelines, following a strained right knee.
In 25 minutes, the Montrealer provided eight points, two rebounds and one block.
“I felt great,” said Dort. I missed playing. The therapists did a great job, sometimes there were three sessions a day. After practice on Wednesday I felt ready to play (Thursday). “
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 31 points, backed by 17 points from Danilo Gallinari. The Oklahoma City team led 59-53 at the half.
The Thunder had half their shots in the half while the Rockets missed 15 three-pointers in the second quarter. Harden had a tough game with just eight points.
The key streak came midway through the final quarter, however, when the Rockets managed a 17-0 push to give themselves a 94-80 lead.
“It was amazing,” said Harden. The match was played on that. The guys decided to give it a little more defensively and we felt the Thunder were getting tired. We kept our foot on the accelerator. “
Thunder star point guard Chris Paul blamed himself for the loss. He was limited to just 14 points.
“I have to do more,” he said. It’s that simple. We can’t let them have a streak like that. We have to be better and I have to be better. “
The Bucks set the record straight
The Milwaukee Bucks weren’t going to get caught for a second straight game.
The leaders in the Eastern Conference tied the game in their streak against the Orlando Magic with a victory of 111-96.
After seeing the Magic surprise during the 1st match, Giannis Antetokounmpo took the double bites under the basket. He collected 20 rebounds and amassed 28 points.
Brook Lopez had a much better game with 20 points.
Nikola Vucevic once again stood out for Orlando with a harvest of 32 points and 10 rebounds.
The Heat is positioned perfectly
Without fanfare, the Miami Heat took the lead 2-0 in their first-round series ahead of the Indiana Pacers.
The Florida team signed a gain of 109 to 100 to approach two wins in the second round of the playoffs.
No player reached the 25-point plateau in this second game. Duncan Robinson was the most productive with 24, while Goran Dragic had 20 points.
Jimmy Butler had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
For the Pacers, only Victor Oladipo exceeded 20 points with 22. Indiana will try to close the gap in the series on Saturday with the presentation of the third game.
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