Golden State Warriors (7-2) @ Los Angeles Lakers (1-8)
Tip-off: Sunday, November 16th, 2014 – 6:30 P.M. PDT
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV: CSN Bay Area
Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors #LetsGoWarriorsLive
Projected Starting Lineup:
Warriors:
PG: Stephen Curry (24.2 PPG, 6.9 APG, 5.7 RPG)
SG: Klay Thompson (24.3 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3.3 RPG)
SF: Harrison Barnes (11.6 PPG, 1.6 APG, 5.2 RPG)
PF: Draymond Green (13.2 PPG, 3 APG, 7.1 RPG)
C: Andrew Bogut (7.4 PPG, 2.9 APG, 10.6 RPG)
Head Coach: Steve Kerr (7-2, .778)
Lakers:
PG: Jeremy Lin (13 PPG, 4.8 APG, 2.9 RPG)
SG: Kobe Bryant (25.4 PPG, 3.9 APG, 5.2 RPG)
SF: Wesley Johnson (8.4 PPG, 1 APG, 3.2 RPG)
PF: Carlos Boozer (13.7 PPG, 1.8 APG, 6.1 RPG)
C: Jordan Hill (13.2 PPG, 2.3 APG, 9.4 RPG)
Coach: Byron Scott (1-8, .111)
Last Time Out:
Warriors defeated the Charlotte Hornets 112-87 at home.
Lakers lost to the San Antonio Spurs 93-80 in Los Angeles
What To Watch For:
Last time these two teams faced, it was the Klay and Kobe show. Klay dropped a career high 41 points against his favorite childhood team, while Kobe made every shot look easy while pouring in 28 himself.
The Lakers are off to their worst start in franchise history. Bryant will be looking to do the bulk of the scoring, and that comes as no surprise, as the rest of the Lakers have offered him little help so far this season. Look for the Warriors to double-team Kobe in certain situations.
The Lakers rank 29th in defensive efficiency in road games this season. In home games, the Warriors rank 2nd in offensive efficiency. This is a match made in heaven for the Warriors. If they can limit their turnovers and get easy shots in transition, the offensive end of the court should be a breeze.
The Warriors should also make offensive rebounding a focal point. This season, the Warriors are averaging 8.2 offensive rebounds per game, 2nd worst in the league.
On the defensive end, the Warriors have been great. In home games, they rank 3rd in defensive efficiency. If they can execute on defense, and force turnovers, they should be in good shape. Containing Kobe will be the biggest problem on the defensive end of the floor. That assignment will likely be drawn by Thompson, who has consistently been the Warriors best perimeter defender.
Barnes has been finding a rhythm in the past few games. In the last 3 contests, Barnes has averaged 17 points per game. He has averaged 9.5 points per game through his career, but so far this year is sitting at 11.6. Look for him to continue to build off of these solid performances.
After last nights win, Curry spoke to the media about the changes he has seen in Barnes this season.
“He’s been aggressive. [He’s] Not hesitating taking shots, and just confident,” Curry said in the locker room post-game, “He’s always been confident, but when it clicks it definitely shows.
“We really need him to do that.”
[NOTE: Ryan Viera contributed to this report]Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
