LeBron James led Los Angeles Lakers took the game 1 defeat against the Portland Trail Blazers as a stepping stone towards success. At least that is how it appears now that they’re giving no chance for the Blazers to make a comeback.
Game 3 of the NBA Playoffs 2020 between the two sides saw Lakers getting a slow start. The Blazers were 32-25 ahead of the Lakers but things began to fall apart for them as the game advanced. LeBron James proved to be a force in the first half, joined by Anthony Davis later, and that reflected later in the game.
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The Los Angeles Lakers duo is breaking and setting records
The star duo of The Akron Hammer and The Brow is now the first after Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to register 25 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game. In that 2002 western conference finals game, Kobe scored 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. Shaq added another 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 assists with 48% FG. They won the game 112-106. Thanks to that partnership, the Lakers eventually went on to with the 2002 NBA title.
It has been 18 years, and the franchise finally has its dual power back. Even as we compare them with the other tandems, they have matched with the record earlier set by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant (when they played for the Oklahoma City Thunder).
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the first Lakers teammates with 25 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal did it in Game 7 of the 2002 West Finals vs the Kings. pic.twitter.com/zulKgpP1Sf
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 23, 2020
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the second pair of teammates to each have 25 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists in the same playoff game, joining Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in 2014 according to Elias Sports Bureau.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) August 23, 2020
We have noticed a pattern in the previous defeats of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers, unlike other teams like LA Clippers, do not possess a very strong bench. If Bron and AD are to fail, so is the team.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis in playoffs
The L-Train is appearing in his 14th playoff, first with the Lakers. By far, he has not been the same LeBron James who we know from the past decade. Although he is averaging 23.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 10.3 assists in the present season, we have seen better performances out of him in the past.
His partner AD is living up to the expectations with close to 30 points average per game. They showcased the same in game 3 when Anthony had 29 buckets, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists to his name. AD took complete control of the other half of the game and helped Lakers keep that lead to stay psychologically a notch above the Blazers.
Alex Caruso proved his stature with a decent defense, but Danny Green is still a non-performing asset as far as the post-season games are concerned. The two sides will play game 4 on August 24th at 9 p.m. ET, TNT.
