What brings you back hear?: The worst has happened to lakers

How they broke the NBA record for the greatest three-point percentage in a single game.
When you see a team in the NBA boxscores having a statistically dominant three-point shooting performance, your thoughts can go to one of two places:

That team was chosen to be blessed by the variance gods because they were feeling generous (or because they were feeling unkind and wanted to punish the other team).
The opposition’s defense on the three-point line was not very good.

The solution, as of most questions that involve an either-or premise, is somewhere in between. It’s possible that a strong shooting night was evident, even if the defense wasn’t playing up to par. However, some of those looks included defensive blunders such as overhelping, inadequate rotations, and blown coverages that made it easy for the other side to transition to threes.

That is precisely what transpired during the Golden State Warriors’ victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony Davis’s absence was a major red flag. Naturally, the Lakers’ defense was weaker without Davis, which gave the Warriors numerous chances to score from impromptu scenarios. The Lakers’ players should commit to one or more help spots that could open them up to perimeter shots, rather than sitting at home to complete their responsibilities because they know that Davis is on the backline and can keep them comfortable.

The fact that the Warriors nearly always had two or more non-shooting players on the floor made those help points potentially difficult to convert, which was a possible lifesaver for the Lakers’ defense. They were more than willing to assist in blocking lanes and making it more difficult for the Warriors to drive, while also making it simpler to divert the ball away from potential offensive threats.

This is where using the variance gods to test fate comes in handy. Choosing to leave below-average shooters unattended is a calculated risk that is frequently based on past performance, but it is still a risk. Frequently, when non-shooters make a shot, it’s nothing to laugh at.

When they hit another, and another, and yet another, though? It’s an obvious indication that the gods have decided *their* will:

Notice where LeBron James is positioned on the Draymond Green three above when Steph Curry exits the Trayce Jackson-Davis ballscreen:
In order to free Jaxson Hayes from his containment responsibilities and enable him to cover Jackson-Davis on the roll, James is forced to assist off of Green. He also clogs the middle lane to prevent Curry from driving. It seems as though James is practically daring Curry to pass the ball because he knows that Curry will read and pass to Green on the wing.

The Lakers will accept it even though Green makes the clutch shot and James recovers in time. Again, though, regardless of how well-thought-out it is, there is always a risk.

Similar events occurred in the second half, although Gary Payton II was the one who died on the wing this time: