NBA Game Notes (May 4, 2023)
Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on May 4, 2023.
Warriors Blast Lakers
The Golden State Warriors blasted the Los Angeles Lakers 127-100 in Game 2 of their Western Conference Semifinals matchup, outscoring the Lakers by a combined 84-47 in the second and third quarters. The teams will head to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday with the series tied at one game apiece.
The Warriors had 110 points through the first three quarters, the most points they’ve ever scored in a playoff game after three periods. It’s also the most points the Lakers have ever given up in the first three quarters of a playoff game.
Klay Thompson scored a game-high 30 points to lead the Warriors. Thompson shot 11-18 from the field, including 8-11 from 3-point range. It’s the sixth time Thompson has made at least eight 3-pointers in a playoff game, two more such games than any other player in NBA history:
6 — Klay Thompson
4 — Ray Allen
4 — Stephen Curry
4 — Damian Lillard
Fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry scored 20 points and dished out a game-high 12 assists. Thompson and Curry have each scored at least 20 points in the same playoff game 53 times, by far the most such games by a backcourt duo in NBA history.
The Warriors’ Draymond Green fell one assist shy of a triple-double, producing 11 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists in 28 minutes played. Green has recorded at least five assists in each of his eight games in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. It’s the third time he’s opened a postseason with eight such games in a row. The only other power forward in NBA history to accomplish the feat is Blake Griffin (2015).
The Warriors hit 21 shots from 3-point range, tying the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a playoff game. They are just the fourth team in NBA history to make 20 or more 3-pointers in back-to-back playoff games:
Cleveland Cavaliers (May 4 & 6, 2016)
Utah Jazz (June 16 & 18, 2021)
LA Clippers (June 18 & 20, 2021)
Golden State Warriors (May 2 & 4, 2023)
The Warriors made a combined 42 3-pointers in Games 1 and 2, tied for the second-highest total over a two-game playoff span in NBA history:
46 — Cleveland Cavaliers (May 4 & 6, 2016)
42 — Houston Rockets (Aug. 24 & 29, 2020)
42 — Golden State Warriors (May 2 & 4, 2023)
41 — Utah Jazz (June 16 & 18, 2021)
The Lakers’ LeBron James scored a team-high 23 points in the loss, shooting 10-18 from the field. It’s the 201st time James has been his team’s outright scoring leader in a playoff game, by far the most such games in NBA history:
201 — LeBron James
165 — Michael Jordan
132 — Karl Malone
129 — Kobe Bryant
125 — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
After a dominant performance in Game 1, Lakers center Anthony Davis was held to 11 points on 11 field goal attempts. Davis blocked a game-high three shots, giving him a league-high 33 for the playoffs. Davis has blocked at least three shots in seven of his last eight games.
Lakers reserve Rui Hachimura scored 21 points in 22 minutes, shooting 8-14 from the field with four 3-pointers made. It’s the third time Hachimura has recorded a 20-point game coming off the bench this postseason. The last Lakers with at least three such games in a single postseason were Bob McAdoo and Mike McGee, both with four in 1984-85.
Playoff Special
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