The Lakers rallied back in the fourth going on a 12-0 run to force overtime and squeaked out the win after trailing most of the second half. LeBron James was dominant per usual, with 36 points, a career-high 20 rebounds, and 12 assists in the win. Anthony Davis missed a big portion of the second half with a groin injury, but returned in the fourth and ended the night with 29 points and 13 rebounds.
From the jump, the 39-year-old James had a burst no other player could match. He started the first quarter scoring nine points, including a beautiful fastbreak pass to Russell that led to a smooth layup. The Warriors responded with a 7-0 run to gain momentum and the lead, but the Lakers had haymakers of their own. Davis was an elite defender, showing why he's a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and he also did it on the offensive end, scoring eight early points to help the Lakers come out of the opening frame up 33-30. The Lakers kept the tempo up and outscored the Warriors 19-10 in fastbreak points in the first half which helped keep the Warriors at bay to start the second. Christian Wood gave the Lakers quality minutes during his shifts, catching a beautiful pass by Russell, leading to a dunk and then another slam over Jonathan Kuminga, leading to a 3-point play. The Warriors weren't just going to take this lying down. Andrew Wiggins applied elite ball pressure on Russell, the Warriors started getting some threes falling and suddenly held a four-point edge with four minutes left in the second. Both teams exchanged buckets the rest of the way, but James scored se
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