LeBron James had a frustrating sequence in Game 2 against the Warriors that turned worse as he was hit with only his third technical foul of his NBA Playoff career.
During the third quarter, with the Lakers down big, James attempted a three-pointer that clanked off the rim with Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins closing out to contest the shot. James appeared to make contact with Wiggins, and he turned to the ref to voice his frustration over an apparent no-call.
As James continued to express his displeasure, referee Pat Fraher hit him with a tech. The frustrated James engaged in conversation with the ref, drawing boos from the crowd at Chase Center. The Lakers trailed the Warriors 105-78 with just 42.3 seconds left in the third quarter when the call was made.
Referee Pat Fraher risks his life by calling a technical foul on Lebron James pic.twitter.com/lpOR2xEgNv
— hoops bot (@hoops_bot) May 5, 2023
It was James’ only third technical foul in his postseason career. The Lakers star will now have to endure the technical foul on top of the Lakers’ blowout loss, as the Warriors evened the series at 1-1.
Lakers find themselves in a challenging position as they head into Game 3 against the Warriors. With Anthony Davis struggling to find consistency, the burden falls on the shoulders of LeBron James to carry the team forward.
However, with James picking up a rare technical foul and tensions running high, the Lakers need to regroup and come up with a solid game plan. It remains to be seen if they can rise to the occasion and regain the momentum in the series.
“Klay and Steph Overpower Lakers as LeBron Struggles to Defend”
The Golden State Warriors leveled the series against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2, with Klay Thompson and Steph Curry leading the charge. Thompson was nearly unstoppable, draining 8 out of 11 shots from beyond the arc, while Curry orchestrated the Warriors’ offense with 12 assists.
For the Lakers, stopping Thompson and Curry was a tough task, made even harder by LeBron James struggling to defend them. The Lakers’ defense was initially built to contain Curry, but the two-time MVP showed his exceptional playmaking skills by trusting his teammates and dishing out 12 assists. Meanwhile, Thompson’s shooting was on another level, leaving Lakers guard Austin Reaves in disbelief despite his best efforts to contest the shots.
LeBron James, who has been a key defender for the Lakers, found it difficult to contain both Thompson and Curry. As a result, the Lakers’ defense was unable to replicate their impressive Game 1 performance and struggled to keep up with the Warriors’ scoring output. With the series now tied at 1-1, the Lakers will need to regroup and come up with a new strategy to contain the Warriors’ dynamic duo in the upcoming games.
