The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 117-112 in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on Tuesday, leading 1-0 in the series.

The Lakers displayed their dominance in the paint, on both offense and defense, as they outscored their opponents 54-28 there. Anthony Davis dropped a double-double of 30 points and 23 rebounds. He, LeBron James and Jarred Vanderbilt combined to contribute nine of the team's 10 blocks, limiting the Warriors' field goal (FG) rate to 40 percent in the paint.

Establishing a no-fly zone under the hoop was not the only defensive highlight of the purple and gold. If you take a look at the stats of Stephen Curry, who shot 10-for-24 from the field to drop 27 points, you will find that Curry had 10 and 14 points in the first and the fourth quarters respectively. In the two periods in between, he only took seven shots and missed six of them.

The Lakers had Vanderbilt guard Curry, not expecting him to contain the four-time NBA champion guard all by himself, but counting on him to switch to take over Draymond Green who was marked by James and Davis in turns. When Green set a pick for Curry, which is usually the commencing move for most of the Warriors' offensive plays, Vanderbilt, James and Davis could switch quickly while maintaining defensive pressure on both Curry and Green.

As a result, Curry and Green missed seven of their 11 attempts in the paint collectively. Curry also committed five turnovers, more than the rest of the team. The Warriors lost by 10 points (67-57) in the two quarters during which Curry struggled to beat the defense on him. By contrast, when he was set free in the first and fourth periods, his side was leading (55-50).

Most of the Warriors' offensive production on Tuesday night came from Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole who combined to drain 18 triples to score 73 points. Andrew Wiggins added 15 points for them as well. The Lakers saw extra contributions from Dennis Schroder who shouldered a bigger offensive role and got 19 points. However, generally, the two teams matched each other in the work by their main attackers.

What set the decisive different in Tuesday's game was the difficulty in scoring. The Warriors shot 53 triples and made 21 of them. It was not bad efficiency and understandable since it was extremely difficult to challenge the rim protection of Davis, James and Vanderbilt. Nonetheless, 86 percent of the Warriors' 3-point makes came from three players, which was both what the Lakers were willing to see, and making the Warriors' offense more predictable, especially during clutch time.

The Lakers didn't double-team Curry until the final minute in the fourth quarter, but when they did, they forced the ball out of Curry's hands, making other Warriors do the job. In the end, Poole missed two shots and failed to reverse the situation for the team.

The Lakers could match the Warriors at all in 3-point shooting, but not only did they score more easy points in the paint, they also outperformed the opponents dramatically in free throws, shooting more 29-6 and surely making more (25-5). When the Warriors had to keep moving the ball in a risky way and shoot over the fingertips of huge defenders, the Lakers attacked in a more solid way of charging the rim, more likely to either make the shots or at least earn free throws.

Losing Game 1 means the Warriors lost their home-court advantage, but it's too early to consider this series desperate. Kevon Looney proved with 23 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass, that even Davis and James couldn't stop him from generating more opportunities to attack. Andrew Wiggins discouraged James from launching an attack via isolation with his defense.

Furthermore, though both teams prefer to speed up for transition and that's exactly what they did on Tuesday night, the Lakers displayed signs of running down first. Stan Van Gundy, who commentated on this game on TNT, said the purple and gold looked like they were walking in mud in the fourth quarter. That's one of the reasons that the Warriors were able to cut the deficit continuously in this period. If the Warriors had shot better than 7-for-16 in a fast break, this game could have ended differently.

Game 2 will happen at the Chase Center on Thursday.

Adebayo fails to stand out when Butler can't play

The New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat 111-105 in Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, on Tuesday, tying the series 1-1.

Julius Randle came back from injury for the Knicks in this game and scored a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds in addition to eight assists. He, RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson combined to get 79 points. Randle and Barrett kept the competition close in the first half before Brunson took over with 23 points in the second half to reap the game.

Josh Hart was not as productive as the three in scoring, but he was only one assist away from getting a triple-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Moreover, none of the Heat’s players did well when Har switched to guard them.

Jimmy Butler sat out Tuesday's competition due to a sprained right ankle. As the Heat's supposed second-in-command, Bam Adebayo again let his teammates down by getting only 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Three undrafted players, Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus drained 11 triples collectively to score 60 points for the team.

A missed referee call at 3:06 in the fourth quarter drew a lot of criticism. The Heat trailed 99-96 back then. Martin missed a 3-pointer from the right wing, but Vincent got the offensive rebound and put the ball into the basket. It didn't count because the referees ruled it as a 24-second violation. Nonetheless, judging by replay, Martin's shot hit the iron and that's why the ball changed its direction before falling into Vincent's hands.

Game 3 will take place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Saturday.