Lakers Fans Echo LeBron's Comments on Defense After Win vs. Steph Curry, Warriors

LeBron James may have raised some eyebrows when he declared that the Los Angeles Lakers are "still the best defensive team in the league" despite Thursday's Game 2 blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors, but his statement was backed up on Saturday.

The Lakers put forth an inspired defensive effort to earn a 127-97 win in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead, much to the delight of fans at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles held the high-powered Golden State offense to 39.6 percent from the field and 29.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Star big man Anthony Davis spearheaded the strong showing for the Lakers, finishing with 25 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks, three assists and three steals in the victory. He was incredibly active both inside the paint and on the perimeter, stifling the Warriors' star duo of Stephen Curry (23 points) and Klay Thompson (15 points).

James, who didn't score or take a shot in the first quarter for the first time in his playoff career, finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. D'Angelo Russell also had 21 points, making five of his eight three-pointers.

But it was the Lakers defense that had NBA Twitter talking on Saturday night, with a ton of praise being doled out for the inspired effort:

The Lakers have all the tools to match up with the Warriors and slow down their potent offensive attack. When Davis is engaged, in particular, Los Angeles is a nightmare to get through. If he keeps playing like this, there's a good chance the Purple & Gold will advance to the conference finals.

Davis and the Lakers will look to move another step closer to the next round when they return to the court against the Warriors in Game 4 on Monday.