SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — Klay Thompson caught fire Thursday, drilling eight of Golden State’s 21 three-pointers in a crushing 127-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers that leveled their National Basketball Association Western Conference semifinal at one game apiece.
Thompson scored 30 points in three quarters for the defending champions, who put on an offensive clinic while limiting Anthony Davis, engine of the Lakers’ game-one victory, to 11 points and seven rebounds.
Thompson’s hot-shooting night let Stephen Curry focus on directing a silky-smooth Warriors offense.
Curry scored a modest 20 points — including a trio of tough three-pointers — while handing out 12 assists, his most in the playoffs since 2014.
“We realized we let one go in game one,” Thompson told broadcaster ESPN.
“(We) came out, our offense was flowing, turnovers were low, hitting the open man — we keep it simple the floodgates can open.”
They did, with Golden State scoring 41 points in the second quarter and 43 in the third to push their lead to 30 points heading into the final period.
LeBron James started strong, sinking 14 points in the opening quarter as the Lakers built a 33-26 lead.
But he added just seven in the second period and two in the third before he and Davis sat out the entire fourth quarter, along with the rest of the Lakers starters.
Draymond Green scored 11 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out nine assists while spearheading the Warriors’ defense of Davis with ailing center Kevon Looney coming off the bench instead of starting.
Looney’s replacement in the starting lineup, JaMychal Green, made just his second start of the season and scored 15 points in 13 minutes.
