There was one decisive word to describe the atmosphere of this game: energy.
Energy, energy, energy – and both teams were diligent to ensure a losing plight didn’t come as a result of lack of effort.
Diving for loose balls, hard fouls, and ornery chatter were all ever-pertinent, and each unit pieced together a display that would epitomize an early Western Conference Playoff matchup.
And they could very well face off in a postseason series in these upcoming months.
The stars were aligned, although some (most notably Anthony Davis) were sidelined, tensions were high, and skills were on primetime as two titans squared off in one of this season’s most important matchups for both.