LIVE: Lakers’ ‘huge advantage’ as maligned star makes early statement in playoffs blockbuster

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As expected, the Lakers started off with Jarred Vanderbilt as the team’s primary defender on Steph Curry, fresh off his 50-point masterclass against the Sacramento Kings.

But it was Andrew Wiggins who made the first three-pointer of the game to set the tone for an early Warriors flurry as Klay Thompson made two quick buckets to put Golden State ahead 10-2.

The Lakers were struggling to find ways to disrupt the Warriors’ rhythm and were finding it just as hard to get their own shots falling, starting the game 1-for-8 from the field.

Anthony Davis eventually ended the drought with a driving layup and suddenly the Lakers started to find life, making their next six field goal attempts as the L.A. big man added six points in one minute.

It had the Lakers in a much better place when the Warriors called the next timeout of the quarter, trailing 21-17 as Rui Hachimura added a few buckets of his own in a solid opening off the bench.

Vanderbilt, meanwhile, was doing very well early in limiting Curry’s impact but the Lakers didn’t have an answer for Kevon Looney, who was gobbling up offensive rebounds.

Looney had seven boards in total, including three on the offensive end, to go with four points and an assist in a highly productive first eight minutes for Golden State.

It didn’t take long for Curry to start heating up either, with the two-time MVP scoring eight points in the space of one minute.

Fortunately for the Lakers, Davis answered right back with four more points of his own to finish the quarter on 14 to go with four defensive rebounds and a block.

It was a strong start for Davis, who had been challenged by Charles Barkley in the lead-up to the series.

“My faith in Anthony Davis is … I can’t trust that dude,” Barkley said on ‘Inside the NBA’. “He played great every other game. But can Anthony Davis dominate for four games? I think he has a huge advantage. I don’t think they have anybody that can guard him, but he’s so inconsistent.

“When he plays like he is capable of, he is great. Can they get four great games out of Anthony Davis? That’s what this series is going to come down to.”

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FULL GAME PREVIEW (via AFP)

LeBron James said the Los Angeles Lakers cannot afford to make any mistakes when they face off against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in their blockbuster playoff series opener.

James and Curry go head-to-head in a playoff series for the first time in five years when the Lakers and the Warriors meet in game one of the Western Conference semifinals in San Francisco.

It is the latest heavyweight showdown between two of the greatest basketball players in history, who faced each other in the NBA finals for four straight years between 2015-2018.

The 38-year-old James leads a Lakers team who have hit form at the right time after struggling to muscle their way into the playoffs, crushing the Memphis Grizzlies last Friday to complete a 4-2 series sweep.

Curry meanwhile produced a 50-point masterpiece on Sunday as the defending NBA champions snatched a 4-3 series win over the Kings in Sacramento.

Talking to reporters on Tuesday [AEST], James spoke of his admiration for Curry as the two friendly adversaries prepare to battle it out once more.

“Nothing but the utmost respect for Steph and all he’s been able to accomplish – not only on the floor but off the floor,” James said.

“It’s great to have people like that in this league setting the example for the generation to come.”

James meanwhile warned his Lakers team-mates that they would need to be “locked in” against a ruthless Warriors team who have shown repeatedly they will punish mistakes.

“They’re right there at the top along with those great San Antonio Spurs teams. If you make a mistake, they make you pay,” James said.

“It’s that simple. So we have to be locked in,”

James added, citing the fact that Curry was able to score so freely on Sunday despite being closely marked throughout.

“They’re going to do a great job of scoring even when you’ve got a body on top of them,” James said.

“When you see some of the routine shots Steph was making in game seven and everybody was going crazy – but that’s just Steph. When you’re that great you make tough shots like that. So we’ve got to be locked in and not hurt ourselves.”

James is also likely to face a physical defensive confrontation with the Warriors’ Draymond Green.

Green, infamously suspended during the 2016 NBA Finals for hitting James in the groin, is relishing another duel with the four-time NBA champion.

“It’s going to be epic,” Green said after Golden State’s win in Sacramento.

“You got Steph, you got Bron doing it all over again.”

Green said the longevity of James and Warriors stalwarts like Curry, Klay Thompson and himself was testament to their enduring competitiveness.

“Here we are eight years later from the first time we met in a playoff series and still playing at that level,” Green said.

“That’s special. Says a lot about who you are as a pro and how serious you take this. How you appreciate this game.

“You’re talking about some ultimate competitors. LeBron is one of the ultimate competitors. Steph, Klay, myself.

“To have these opportunities, we don’t take for granted.”

Green however pushed back at suggestions that this season marked a “Last Dance” for the likes of James and Curry.

“Stop trying to turn the page on us so fast,” Green said.

“Stop trying to turn the page on Bron. We get so caught up in what’s the next thing, we don’t appreciate the current.

“Then you get to the next thing and you’re looking back, like, ‘Man, I wish we still had that. I wish we could still see this.’

“So for me and our guys we are going to appreciate this every step of the way.”