Kevon Looney has been the primary enforcer in the middle for the Warriors in the playoffs so far, guarding bigs and grabbing rebounds at an exceptional rate.
Looney will not be playing much in Game 2 after late news emerged that Steve Kerr will bench him in favor of JaMychal Green due to sickness.
“The Warriors have Kevon Looney, but according to the medical staff, he’s not feeling well at all and can probably play only 20 minutes max. Looney had 23 rebounds in Game 1. Around two and a half hours ago, around 3:30 local time, that’s when the Warriors arrived at the arena for their pre-game walkthrough, and that’s when they found out Looney is sick with an unspecified illness. He’ll try to give them some minutes tonight, but Steve Kerr has replaced him in the starting lineup with 9-year veteran JaMychal Green.”
.@saltersl with the latest on Kevon Looney. pic.twitter.com/zfphCxuVDb
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 5, 2023
Looney has averaged 7.3 points, 16.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists these playoffs, playing his role perfectly for the team with title hopes. Starting JaMychal does give the Warriors more options offensively, but Looney has been willing to do anything needed to guard the likes of Domantas Sabonis and Anthony Davis this postseason run. His contributions will definitely be missed.
A Must-Win For The Warriors
Not having Kevon Looney at his best is going to be a massive detriment to the Warriors. He has been instrumental in creating second-chance opportunities for his teammates while also being willing to match up with whoever is on the other team. Against the Lakers, Looney was supposed to be the antidote to Anthony Davis, but the team will have to find another way to win this one.
The Warriors cannot afford to fall back 2-0 after losing two home games to the Lakers. A small percentage of teams have ever won after losing two home games to open the series, so the Warriors don’t want to be in a position to fight through history again.
The Lakers lead the Warriors 33-26 at the end of the first quarter, with LeBron James leading the way with 14 points.
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