LOS ANGELES — Anthony Davis and LeBron James led the Los Angeles Lakers to a blowout of reigning champion Golden State on Saturday, while Miami's romp over New York was fueled by Jimmy Butler's comeback from an ankle injury.
Davis scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the home Lakers to a 127-97 victory over the Warriors.
Davis hit 7-of-10 from the field, 11-of-12 from the free throw line, and had four blocks, three assists, and three steals while dominating on defense.
“I just wanted to come out and get back to the dominant performance that I do defensively,” Davis said.
“We wanted to get back to our roots, and defending and guarding. This is a tough team to guard but we know that we can do it and we did it well tonight, holding them to 97 points.”
James, who did not shoot for the first 13 minutes, had eight assists and eight rebounds, while D'Angelo Russell had 21 points, all in the first half.
With Game 4 on Monday in Los Angeles, the Lakers took a 2-1 lead over the reigning champion Warriors in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.
"It's a battle," Davis stated about the series. "Two teams that want it, can score, and can destroy each other on any given night."
“We know they’re going to come out with a lot of firepower Monday trying not to go down 3-1. We’ve got to have the mindset we had tonight.”
In the Eastern Conference, Butler scored 28 points to lead the Heat to a 105-86 victory against the Knicks, giving Miami a 2-1 series lead with Game 4 on Monday at home.
“It feels good to get a dub (W) on our home floor in front of our fans,” Butler said. “We’re going to take that and roll with it.”
Butler was injured in the series opener and missed Miami's defeat Tuesday, but he returned to help the Heat lead from tip to finish.
“I’m comfortable, I’m confident and I work extremely hard at my craft,” Butler said.
Miami's Max Strus had 19 points, while Bam Adebayo had 17 points and 12 rebounds.
