Lakers, Heat move up 2-1 vs Warriors, Knicks

LOS ANGELES  — Anthony Davis and LeBron James powered the Los Angeles Lakers in a rout of defending champion Golden State on Saturday while Jimmy Butler returned from an ankle injury to spark Miami’s romp over New York in the NBA playoffs.

Davis scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds while LeBron James added 21 points to lead the host Lakers over the Warriors, 127-97.

Davis made 7-of-10 shots from the floor, 11-of-12 from the free throw line, and had four blocks, three assists and three steals while overwhelming with defensive plays.

“I just wanted to come out and get back to the dominant performance that I do defensively,” Davis said.

“We wanted to get back to our roots, and defending and guarding. This is a tough team to guard but we know that we can do it and we did it well tonight, holding them to 97 points.”

James, who went the first 13 minutes without shooting, added eight assists and eight rebounds while D’Angelo Russell posted 21 points, all in the first half.

The Lakers grabbed a 2-1 lead over the defending champion Warriors in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series with Game 4 on Monday in Los Angeles.

“It’s a battle,” Davis said of the series. “Two teams that want it and can score and can give each other a beat down any given night.

“We know they’re going to come out with a lot of firepower Monday trying not to go down 3-1. We’ve got to have the mindset we had tonight.”

In the Eastern Conference, Butler scored 28 points to lead the Heat over the Knicks, 105-86, giving Miami a 2-1 series lead with Game 4 Monday on their home court.

“It feels good to get a dub (W) on our home floor in front of our fans,” Butler said. “We’re going to take that and roll with it.”

Butler missed Miami’s loss Tuesday after suffering an injury in the series opener, but returned to help the Heat lead from start to finish.

“I’m comfortable, I’m confident and I work extremely hard at my craft,” Butler said.

Max Strus added 19 points for Miami while Bam Adebayo added 17 points and 12 rebounds.