Stephen A.: Anthony Davis didn’t look like he had his legs in Game 2 | SportsCenter

Let's delve into Game 2 some more with Stephen A. Smith, who joins us in the studio. Good to have you here. Good to be here. When this series began, rightfully so, we talked a lot about Steph Curry and LeBron James, but so far the central figures have been Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson. Klay Thompson in Game 2, what impressed you most about his performance? Well, he needed to show up. He needed to show up and look like Klay Thompson, and that's exactly what he did. He dropped 30. He was hitting threes from all over the place. There was no hesitancy on his shot at all, and that's what you need to see from Klay Thompson. Remember, they're going to key on Steph Curry. Yep, when he's off the ball, you're going to have somebody face guarding him at all times, no matter how many times they have to switch just to keep an adversary in his face. If he's got the ball in his hands, they're going to try to pressure him 94 feet, try to drain him out. He needs help, and the help needs to come from his splash by the teammate, which is Klay Thompson. When Klay is flowing, obviously that makes life easier for Steph, and the Golden State Warriors, they get off. In the case of Anthony Davis, listen, in even an odd number of games, believe it or not, one, three, five, another game, one of the Western Conference Series, he's averaging like 28 and 17 on 55% shooting. In those even number games, it dips to like 13 points, 11 rebounds on 39% shooting. Coming into game two tonight, this is what you have to worry about with Anthony Davis. I knew when he played 45 minutes the other night, he was going to have some trouble tonight. Was that just an off night for him, or do you think it was something that the Warriors did to limit his effectiveness? No, I'm going to say it was an off night because he had plenty of opportunities inside and a little bit extended beyond the paint where he was wide open and just couldn't drain shots. He didn't look like he had the legs under him. He certainly didn't look enthused about playing, and obviously when he looks like that, it compromises the success of the Los Angeles Lakers, and it most certainly did tonight, as you can see. Yeah, this one got away from him, but they get the split in the bay. Coming back home, what are the adjustments Darvin Hamm needs to make to regain home court advantage? Well, the number one thing is you've got to get rest for Anthony Davis. Make sure he's got his massage. Make sure he's got his pedicures. Make sure he gets any kind of therapeutic medicine that you can provide. Make sure he gets that. Make sure he's ready for game three because LeBron James can't do but so much compared to what he did in the first half in game two. But the other parts are going to have to step in and help out D'Angelo Russell, They're going to have to be factors in this series offensively because no matter how much you stymie the Golden State Warriors, they've shown you repeatedly throughout the years that spurts are coming. Even when they're struggling offensively, even if it's just for a few minutes, they're coming. You have to be ready, and you have to be ready for that onslaught, and the only way you can deal with it is to be able to put points in the hole yourself. That's what the Lakers have to be ready to do. Thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube. For live streaming sports and premium content, subscribe to ESPN+.