After losing to the Golden State Warriors by 43 points, the Los Angeles Lakers will try to bounce back tonight at home against the same team. The Lakers are battling through some injuries to key players as D’Angelo Russell is out, while Julius Randle and Nick Young are both doubtful.
The Warriors had three players score 25+ points, dished out 47 assists as a team, scored 50 points in the paint, shot 61.6 percent from the field and 52.8 percent from three. Wednesday’s game showed how good the Warriors could be when clicking on all cylinders.
The Lakers played well on the offensive end. Brandon Ingram, Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams all scored 16 points and the Lakers as a team shot 40% from three point land and converted on 81.8 % of their free throws and they kept their turnovers down, only committing 12 while passing out 22 assists.
Even short-handed, Los Angeles will look to redeem themselves and have a much better showing against Golden State this time.
Backcourt:
With injuries to Nick Young and D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers will have to squeeze more production out of Lou Williams, Jordan Clarkson and Jose Calderon.
Williams has been one of the most consistent players on the Lakers as he provides a spark off the bench and can get the big men involved in the game. Williams is an expert at creating space for himself as well as drawing fouls and he leads the Lakers free throw attempts. Either he or Clarkson is likely to step into the starting lineup should Young miss the game.
Clarkson is instant energy to the Lakers because of his ability to play the passing lanes well to create turnovers, which create easy buckets. Clarkson will need to bring his A-game defensively if the Lakers want a shot in this game.
Calderon has proven that he can contribute as a spot up shooter and distributor within the offense when given consistent minutes. The Warriors are a tough matchup for him, but his minutes will go up if Young is out as well, and his veteran savvy will be needed.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the Splash Brothers, are the best backcourt in basketball. They scored 57 points against the Lakers in Wednesday night’s blowout and were able to create turnovers, hit open three pointers and get to the paint whenever the wanted. The Warriors hope their stars will be just as effective tonight while the Lakers will look for a showing similar to the first Staples Center matchup between these teams.
Frontcourt:
Brandon Ingram made his first start in the NBA in the last game against the Warriors and with Julius Randle doubtful, Ingram will probably get another start. Ingram had 16 points, three rebounds and one assist in his first start against the best team in the NBA. The Lakers are undoubtedly hoping to see a little more aggressiveness out of their promising rookie.
Deng has received a lot of criticism from Lakers fans this season, but Randle’s injury has allowed him to slide over to the power forward spot where he experienced a lot of success last season. Though he still didn’t shoot well on Wednesday, he finished with a solid eight points and seven rebounds. The Lakers will still need more from their highest paid player, however.
Nance Jr. is a key player for the Lakers every night. Most of the time when Nance Jr. is getting to the loose balls, being a nuisance in the passing lanes and finishing consistently off the pick-and-roll, the Lakers are a much better team for it. The Lakers will also be hoping Timofey Mozgov does a better job of staying out of foul trouble as he provides much-needed rim protection.
The Warriors frontcourt is a little more top heavy. The Warriors have the luxury to have Draymond Green or Kevin Durant in the game basically at all times. Last game Durant had 28 points, six rebounds and five assists. Green was able to fill up the box score with 11 assists, nine rebounds and five points. Both of these players can create for others and their shots. The Lakers have to try to get the ball out of their hands and make people like Zaza Pachulia beat them, but this is a difficult task.
Keys to Victory:
No Easy Points:
The Warriors have four players on their roster that can destroy your team when they play perfectly. If the Lakers continue to send them to the line and turn the ball over, they will have no shot at winning this game. Also, the Warriors scored 50 points in the paint, which is too many when they also scored 57 points on three-pointers.
No Open Looks:
Last game against the Warriors Klay Thompson and Steph Curry got way too many wide open shots. The Warriors can hit threes when being guarded closely, so giving them wide open looks is a recipe for disaster. Getting over and around screens will be key to the Lakers challenging shots.
Battle on the Boards:
Both the Lakers and Warriors biggest weakness is rebounding. The Lakers need to show they want it more by crashing the glass as one place the Warriors are susceptible is in the paint. The Lakers must also make sure the Warriors aren’t getting multiple chances on offense as offensive rebounds usually lead to wide open three-pointers.
Los Angeles Lakers (8-8) Vs. Golden State Warriors (13-2)
7:30 P.M. PST, November 25, 2016
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM (ESPN)/1330 KWKW (Spanish)
Projected Warriors Starting Lineup:
PG: Stehpen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Draymond Green
C: Zaza Pachulia
Key Reserves: Shaun Livingston, Andre Igoudala, David West, Ian Clark
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Jose Calderon
SG: Jordan Clarkson
SF: Brandon Ingram
PF: Luol Deng
C: Timofey Mozgov
Key Reserves: Lou Williams, Larry Nance Jr., Tarik Black, Thomas Robinson, Metta World Peace
