The Los Angeles Lakers lead the Golden State Warriors 2-1 in the Western Conference Semifinals. They took care of business in their first home game of the series with a 127-97 win in Game 3, putting on a dominant performance that knocked the Warriors way off of their balance. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham's inventive and flexible schemes have worked very well against the defending champions.

The Warriors shot just 39.6 percent from the field in Game 3 and committed 19 turnovers. The Lakers, after trailing by 11 early on, built the lead up to 11 by halftime and 18 by the end of the third quarter. Los Angeles only built on its lead in the fourth to take back the series lead.

When asked how he intends to get the Lakers to keep playing with such intensity on the defensive end, Ham underscored its importance. He noted that the Warriors are bound to catch a team when their effort dips.

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“Well, that's what we can control,” Ham said. “We can't control whether shots go in or not. We can try to put ourselves in a position to get open shots. But even still, sometimes the ball doesn't go in the basket as often as you would like. But defense, our effort, our energy, our competitiveness on that side of the ball, that's something you can get right every night.

“It's something that we have to do against this team,” the Lakers coach continued. “You relax one second or you start feeling comfortable or complacent, they're gonna burn you every time. We have to definitely stay on our toes…Each game is its own entity and you have to prepare as such.”

Anthony Davis has been playing extraordinary defense in the playoffs and tallied four blocks and three steals in Game 3. Jarred Vanderbilt has been the personification of versatility by starting out the series on Stephen Curry and then switching to Draymond Green to counter the Warriors' screens.

With 25 points from Davis, 21 points each from LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell and 12 points from Lonnie Walker IV in an extended run off the bench, the Lakers got plenty of contributions to beat the Warriors. Their job, as they know well, is far from finished, though.