The Los Angeles Lakers were able to get a few days rest after dispatching the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round while waiting to find out who they would be facing. And after taking out the upstart Sacramento Kings in an intense Game 7, it is the Golden State Warriors who find themselves opposite the Lakers in a dream matchup for the NBA.
The Lakers won three out of four regular-season contests between the teams, though two of those came with the Warriors not having Stephen Curry and the third was the Warriors’ superstar’s first game back from injury. Regardless, both teams will be looking to set the tone in what is sure to be an intense Game 1 of the series.
The key for the Lakers is undoubtedly Anthony Davis and particularly what he brings on the defensive end. Davis averaged only 20.8 points in the first round, but added 13.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks in the series, completely controlling the paint. But Davis was also inconsistent and had a couple of games where he just didn’t have it. And against the Warriors, that simply can not happen.
LeBron James has figured out how to pick his spots well now, conserving energy when he can and taking over games when the Lakers really need him to. But he can not afford another awful shooting series from deep. His work in the paint and on the glass was excellent against Memphis, but he shot under 20% from 3-point range. Perhaps this reunion against his biggest rivals will be enough to wake him up and get his outside shot working.
How the Lakers match up defensively with Golden State and Curry will be interesting to watch as well. Jarred Vanderbilt is the team’s best on-ball defender, even against point guards, but Curry does so much work off-ball and moving through screens that it could be tough for even Vanderbilt to keep up. Dennis Schroder could also be relied upon heavily to try and slow down the former MVP who has been unbelievable throughout the playoffs so far.
Klay Thompson wasn’t quite himself in the first round against Sacramento as he shot just 35.6% from deep in the series. But as one of the best shooters the NBA has ever seen, the Lakers will need to keep someone near him at all times as him getting hot can sink a team very quickly. Likewise, Draymond Green always finds ways to affect the game on both ends of the court.
But as these series often do, this could come down to the role players and who steps up to the plate. The Lakers got nearly 48 points per game combined from the trio of Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura in the first round, but they also got next to nothing from Troy Brown Jr. and Malik Beasley off the bench. Either of those two would be huge defensively, but they have to at least be respectable shooting-wise in order to stay on the court.
For the Warriors, Kevon Looney was an absolute monster on the glass, creating multiple opportunities with his offensive rebounds. The Lakers as a team must crash the glass as the last thing they can allow is open shots for Curry and Thompson off offensive rebounds. Andrew Wiggins continues to produce for the Warriors as well, but the rest of the supporting cast struggled was inconsistent, to put it mildly.
Curry has been the best player of anyone in this series so far in these playoffs, but the Lakers have gotten more from their supporting cast. With a couple days to recharge, the Lakers have a great chance to steal Game 1 on the road if everyone comes in locked in and ready to play.
Los Angeles Lakers (0-0) vs. Golden State Warriors (0-0)
7:00 p.m. PT, May 2, 2023
Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
TV: TNT
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: LeBron James
PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Rui Hachimura, Dennis Schroder, Troy Brown Jr., Malik Beasley, Wenyen Gabriel
Projected Warriors Starting Lineup:
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney
Key Reserves: Jordan Poole, Gary Payton II, Donte DiVincenzo, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga
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