Golden State Warriors (8-4) at Los Angeles Lakers (5-7)
Tipoff: Friday, 11/22/2013, 7:30PM PDT
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN | Radio: KNBR 680 AM
Livetweet: @LetsGoWarriors (@samesfandiari)
The Warriors come into Staples Center tonight off of a frustrating overtime loss Wednesday to the Memphis Grizzlies. With the red-hot Portland Trailblazers coming into Oracle tomorrow night, the Warriors will be looking to repeat opening night’s performance v. the Lakers and be able to rest key players in the 4th quarter.
Without Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, the Los Angeles Lakers have still been a tough side to beat. The Lakers may only be 5-7, but they have been a thorn in the side of many good teams, notching wins over the Clippers, Rockets and Hawks, all teams with winning records. What they lack in individual talent, they try to make up for in effort and team play. These ‘star-less’ Lakers play hard, fast and together. The Lakers will look to get out and run, and get easy lay ups or kick out 3 pointers. The Lakers are currently 6th in NBA in 3 point shooting percentage at 40.7%. The Lakers will be out looking for revenge after the Oracle opener thumping they received. Expect a spirited effort on their behalf as they look to take advantage of a Warrior’s team perhaps looking ahead a game.
Injury Notes:
Lakers:
-Steve Nash is out
-Kobe Bryant is currently listed as game time decision but is unlikely to play as noted by Mark Medina (LA Daily News Lakers beat writer)
Chris Kaman is day-to-day with back soreness, per LakersNation.
Warriors:
-Toney Douglas is still out with a stress fracture on his foot.
–Stephen Curry is also a game time decision per Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, with a more realistic chance of playing.
Keys to the game:
-Take care of the ball: The Lakers are third in NBA in steals. Like the old Don Nelson Warriors, the Lakers try to force turnovers and get out in transition and get easy baskets.
-Close out the 3-Point Line: The Lakers go small and fill the court with shooters. Steve Blake, Jodie Meeks, Xavier Henry and Wesley Johnson are all shooting over 40% from behind the arc. In the Lakers 5 wins, they have shot 44.7% (60-134) from behind the arc. The better you are at defending the 3 point line, the easier beating the Lakers will be.
Ball Movement: The Lakers rank 25th in defense this season. They put forth good effort but lack above average defenders. The more the Warriors move the ball the more the Lakers struggle to recognize rotation, and the easier the looks the Warriors can get.
Pau Gasol: While Pau has been struggling, he is still one of the league’s most talented low-post big men. Gasol has also promised to donate $1,000 for every point he scores tonight to Typhoon Haiyan relief, and with that added incentive, he will be looking to establish himself early and often. In addition to scoring, when Gasol is active on the offense, the Lakers shooters benefit because he is such a good passer and defenses are forced to collapse on him. The Warriors ability to keep him out the game will go a long way in ensuring a victory.
Predictions:
• Curry plays tonight and notches another double double.
• Klay Thompson continues his hot streak v. the Lakers by scoring 30 tonight and tormenting his father courtside doing Lakers play-by-play
• Mr. Consistency, David Lee, adds another one of his patented 20/10 games.
• Andrew Bogut locks up Pau Gasol and limits him to only 10 points.
• The Warriors win comfortably by 15-20 points.
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