The Los Angeles Lakers rebounded from a slow start where they were trailing 25-12 in the first quarter to eventually dominate Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals. They led by as much as 32 points and at the final horn, registered a 116-98 victory.
With the final score hiding the lopsided nature of this game, the Lakers take a 1-0 series lead behind huge games from their All-Stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
Here are the player ratings from a blowout Game 1:
Anthony Davis - 10
The Heat had no answer for Davis and his size, and that showed in the box score. Davis with his 34 points (11-21 FGs; 10-10 FTs), nine rebounds, and five assists was a game-high +23 in his 38 minutes on the floor. With that statline, he became only the fifth Laker in franchise history to have at least 30-5-5 in Game 1 of the Finals.
LeBron James - 9
LeBron James was also huge in this one, finishing one assist shy of his 11th career Finals triple-double. His box score had efficiency written all over it as he finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists on 9-of-17 shooting from the field and just two turnovers in 36 minutes of play.
Jimmy Butler - 8
Jimmy Butler didn't have a bad game but after he rolled his ankle in the closing seconds of the second quarter, he wasn't able to affect the flow of play as much. He finished with 23 points and five assists on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line in 34 minutes.
Danny Green - 8
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 1, 2020
Danny Green was arguably the best role player in Game 1. In the first half where the Lakers turned a 13-point deficit to a 17-point lead, he had eight points, two rebounds, two steals, two blocks and two 3-pointers. His plus-minus of +21 was second only to Davis.
Kendrick Nunn - 8
Nunn hadn't started a single postseason game for the Heat after starting all of the regular season. In fact, he hasn't see a lot of the court in general, but with this game getting out of hand quickly, he was called on and the rookie seemed to find a rhythm.
In 20 minutes, he finished with 18 points, five rebounds and two assists on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. With the uncertainty surrounding Goran Dragic's availability, his play in the second half could give him some confidence to step-up better for the rest of the series.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - 8
KCP finished with 13 points, the best of the role players on the Lakers. He hit two crucial 3-pointers that really sparked the team's 19-3 run to cap off the first quarter and change the tide of the game.
Lakers bench - 8
The trio of Rajon Rondo, Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso were huge positive contributors for the Lakers.
Caruso and Rondo guide the @Lakers bench unit in the Game 1 win! #LakeShow #NBAFinals
— NBA (@NBA) October 1, 2020
Game 2: Friday - 9:00pm/et, ABC pic.twitter.com/dSxle1IctS
Rondo finished with seven points, four assists, three rebounds and a +11 in 25 minutes. Kuzma only shot 1-of-7 from the field but contributed with eight rebounds and two assists, finishing with a +11 in 22 minutes. Caruso had 10 points, four rebounds and two assists for a +12 in 22 minutes.
Bam Adebayo - 5
Coming off a great Conference Finals series, Bam Adebayo didn't have a great Game 1. He did spend quite a bit of time on the bench battling foul trouble before heading to the locker room with an injury to his left shoulder. The X-rays on his shoulder later returned negative .
Tyler Herro - 5
Tough game for the rookie. In 30 minutes, he finished with 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the field and was a -35, tied for the lowest +/- by a player in a Finals game since 2000.
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