Ahead of Game 2 of the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors find themselves in a similar predicament as they did against the Sacramento Kings, risking another 0-2 start to the series.
Game 1 swung the Lakers’ way in the form of a 117-112 win, courtesy of Anthony Davis’ solid outing, and Jordan Poole missing a potential game-winner at the Chase Center. Now, the very same venue will see the two teams square off where one looks to equalize, while the other hopes to keep the momentum going.
The Lakers aren’t taking anything lightly, a sentiment that was echoed by Anthony Davis soon after their Game 1 win. “You know who they are, there’s no preparing for them. They don’t have any steady sets they go to, it’s a lot of randomness, controlled chaos as we like to call it. They make it look good.”
Davis couldn’t have been more right. Golden State was looked at as down and out against the Kings, only to pull the series back and cap it off with a 4-3 win — proof that they have their championship DNA intact. Now, they will look to forget their first game loss and look to even the scoreline against a tough LA unit.
On that note, we take a look at the projected starters, the injury report from both camps and the predictions.
Golden State Warriors Injuries And Expected Lineups
The Warriors will be without Andre Iguodala (wrist) and Ryan Rollins (foot). Patrick Baldwin Jr. (toe soreness) is listed as questionable. Barring the trio, the rest of the outfit is cleared to take the floor.
Klay Thompson (G), Stephen Curry (G), Andrew Wiggins (F), Draymond Green (F), and Kevon Looney (C) will be the expected starters for the Warriors.
Los Angeles Lakers Injuries And Expected Lineups
The Lakers have familiar faces in their injury report. Per ESPN, Mo Bamba (ankle) is listed as questionable. Anthony Davis (foot) and LeBron James (foot) are probable.
Expect the visitors to go with the same unit as last time starting off with D’Angelo Russell (G), Austin Reaves (G), LeBron James (F), Jarred Vanderbilt (F), and Anthony Davis (C) on the court.
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers Predictions
Not much changes in terms of the storyline. The Lakers will need to give it their all to stop the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Davis will be crucial on both ends of the floor, while Vanderbilt will have to keep his motor running to guard Curry again, who despite having the perfect matchup still dropped 27 points.
It goes without saying that the Warriors will come out swinging. They will be better prepared, and the one change they could do is to go small ball, given their 14-0 run when they drew up the plan to go small in Game 1. While at it, they will miss Looney’s defense, and that’s one of the things to watch out for.
Such are the teams playing that it is still an even-steven contest at this point. As far as predictions go, the Lakers have their nose in front.
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