Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors have been involved in two head-to-head clashes this season, and both the teams have won one each. The two teams will once again be involved in another battle as Warriors travel to Staples Center on Friday.
The Lakers might have been impressive in their first head-to-head, defeating Warriors, who came back with a bang on Wednesday. Warriors were impressive in their second outing against Lakers, defeating them 149-106, with Stephen Curry leading from the front, scoring 31 points, including seven three-pointers. The Warriors will go into this match with immense confidence after their trio of Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant sparkled to thrash Lakers.
The Warriors lost to Lakers earlier in the month, which was their second loss of the season. Since then, they have won nine games on a trot. They have looked a solid team, with big players turning the heat when it matters.
If the Lakers are to have any hope of defeating the Warriors on Friday, it is their defence, which needs to stand up. They were poor at the back, allowing Warriors to score almost 150 points. Now, Warriors are certainly one of the dangerous offensive units, but allowing a team 149 points is just not acceptable. The Lakers fans might defend themselves by saying that they also scored above 100 points, but the fact remains, you need to have to be strong on both sides of the floor to challenge such quality opponents.
The Lakers are once again going to miss the services of D'Angelo Russell as he has been ruled out due to a soft knee problem. The participation of Julius Randle is also doubtful due to injury. With the duo not available, Curry and co. can once again break open their defence easily. One hopes that Lakers coach Luke Walton might have spoken about the need to be tight on the Warriors trio, and not allow them easy shots at the basket.
The Lakers will depend on Brandon Ingram and Lou Williams to score some massive points to put a stop to Warriors' winning streak. Can they?
Where to watch live
Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State Warriors is set to begin at 10:30 pm ET (9 am IST next day). Live Streaming and TV guide for the NBA match is given below.
India: TV: Sony Six and Sony Six HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv
USA: NBA TV
Australia: ESPN
International: NBA Online
