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Sports Pulse
The Los Angeles Lakers survived a frantic rally by the Golden State Warriors in a 117-112 victory Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
The Lakers led by 14 points with less than six minutes to play at Chase Center in San Francisco. Steph Curry then helped spark a 14-0 run for the Warriors before the Lakers held on in the final minute.
Anthony Davis had 30 points and 23 rebounds for the Lakers while LeBron James added 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Davis, who also had four blocks and five assists for the Lakers, called the victory a “confidence booster for us.”
“No lead is safe with them,” Davis told TNT during a postgame interview. “Obviously we saw they could get hot at any moment.
“But it’s just a mindset for our team, knowing that if we win in this building we can beat this team.”
Curry led the Warriors with 27 points and at one point in the fourth quarter scored nine consecutive points.
The teams will play Game 2 of the best-of-seven series Thursday in San Francisco.
The Lakers opened up a 10-point lead in the third quarter. They went ahead 86-76 when James made a 3-pointer with 5:29 left in the quarter then took their biggest lead at 112-98 when James hit a 19-foot jumper with 5:58 left to play. That’s when the Warriors made their push.
“I thought we were the fresher team down the stretch,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “You saw the run we made… We gave it a great fight and just couldn’t get over the hump. But we’ll be ready for Game 2.”
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The first half was full of highlights, with the Warriors electrifying their crowd with 13 3-pointers and the Lakers barreling to the basket at nearly every opportunity.
The Warriors led by as many as eight points and the Lakers pulled ahead by as many as five points before the dizzying half ended with the Lakers leading 65-64.
By halftime, Davis already had a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. He was nearly perfect, shooting 9-for-10 from the floor and 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
Golden State responded with its long-range shooting, making 13 3-pointers on 30 attempts. Klay Thompson led the way in the first half with four 3-pointers and a team-high 18 points.
Los Angeles, by contrast, was 1-for-8 from 3-point range. But the Lakers overcame that by shooting 16-for-17 from the free throw line while the Warriors shot just three throws and made them all.
