SAN FRANCISCO -- Everything that went wrong for the Warriors to begin the Western Conference semifinals turned in their favor Thursday night at Chase Center in their 127-100 Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 3-pointers kept falling. The Warriors limited their turnovers once again. And this time, they hit first and looked like an unstoppable force at times.
Between the second and third quarters, the Warriors outscored the Lakers 84-47, a 37-point advantage.
What has to feel great for the Warriors is the fact that they did all this without a huge scoring night from Steph Curry. The Lakers made sure he wasn't going to get easy shots off. Curry read the defense and finished with 20 points on 12 shots, while also handing out 12 assists.
Klay Thompson led the way with 30 points. He wasn't alone, too. All five of the Warriors' starters scored in double figures. Moses Moody scored 10 points, giving the Warriors six players to score 10 or more.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors' Game 2 win over the Lakers.
Golden State Warriors
The JaMychal Green Game
In a series that will feature plenty of adjustments, Steve Kerr made a big surprise that nobody saw coming. JaMychal Green was given a rare start, only his second all season, after being a DNP (Did Not Play) in four of the Warriors' seven games last season.
Green replaced Kevon Looney, who the Warriors said was under the weather. The veteran answered the call, too.
He made a quick three in the first quarter and ended the period with five points. His ability to stretch the floor is vital in getting Anthony Davis and other Lakers big men out of the paint. Mission accomplished.
The veteran played 13 minutes and scored 15 points, his second-most all season. Green made three 3-pointers and had three finishes at the rim, going 6 of 9 from the field and 3 of 6 as a 3-point shooter.
Looney gutted it out and gave Golden State eight rebounds and six points in 12 minutes off the bench.
Klay Day
This is what Klay Thompson has been waiting for. All throughout his 12-year career, he has dreamed of playing the Lakers, his childhood team, in the playoffs. A big night was bound to happen.
The Warriors couldn't go down 0-2 with the series shifting to LA, and Klay picked the perfect time to catch fire.
Really, everything changed for the Warriors in the second quarter. Following a first quarter where they were outscored by seven points, 33-26, the Warriors then outscored the Lakers by 15 points, 41-26, over the next 12 quarters. Thompson caught fire, scoring 14 points in the period on 5-of-8 shooting and 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
He then scored another 11 in the third quarter, putting him up to 30 on the night. The Warriors led by 30 points going into the fourth quarter, allowing Thompson to rest the entire final frame.
His final line: 31 minutes, 30 points, 11-of-18 shooting and 8 of 11 from long distance. Thompson was a plus-28 in plus/minus. The Warriors will take those minutes, every single game.
Playing With Force
How would the Warriors slow down Anthony Davis? What was the answer to closing the gap from the free-throw line? Kerr and his squad vowed to play with force and be the aggressors in Game 2.
The film was studied. The flip was switched mentally and physically for the Warriors in front of their home fans. They were the aggressors playing with force.
RELATED: Watch LeBron take odd, unprompted tumble to floor in Game 2
Golden State scored 28 points in the paint all of Game 1. But two nights later, they put up 30 points in the paint through the first two quarters. On the night, they ended with 48 points in the paint, six more than the Lakers.
The Warriors also came down with 55 rebounds, 15 more than the Lakers.
Davis, who had 30 points and 23 rebounds in Game 1, scored a lowly 11 points to go with seven rebounds and four turnovers in 33 minutes. Green – Draymond, not JaMychal – went chest-to-chest with Davis and gave him plenty of fits. He knew he had to be better to keep Davis in check, and Green got the job done.