Warriors take on the Lakers in rubber match
The Golden State Warriors visit the Los Angeles Lakers for the rubber match in Staples Center.
The Golden State Warriors were routed by the Los Angeles Lakers in Staples Center 117-97 on November 4. Then the Dubs turned around and had an incredible offensive explosion, blowing Luke Walton’s team 149-106 two days ago. Now, the two teams meet again in LA for the rubber match.
For whatever reason, Golden State has struggled in Staples Center when it’s decked out in purple and gold. With a big Thanksgiving dinner inside of them and a travel day, the Warriors are in danger of dropping this one. They tend to play down to the competition and let their guards down against inferior teams.
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The Warriors are on an eight game winning streak. Their offense is functioning at a historic level. Kevin Durant has made a seamless transition and is playing some of the best basketball of his career. On the other side of the ball, Golden State is improving defensively. Their communication is getting better and their small ball lineup is really getting it together.
Golden State is coming off a game in which they set a franchise record for assists in game with 47. The ball moved around so effortlessly and the “there’s only one ball” argument looked sillier and sillier with every dime that was dropped. Klay Thompson has turned it around and is finally playing at an All-Star level.
The Lakers are sitting at .500 now, but will be without point guard D’Angelo Russell once again. That’s a big blow for a team that really depends on the offense to win. Los Angeles has struggled defensively and, as a young team, they’re prone to breakdowns on that end.
Date: Friday, November 25, 2016
Start Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Los Angeles, California
Venue: Staples Center
TV Info: CSN Bay Area
Live Stream: NBA TV
The Warriors should win this one. They could probably even cruise to another big victory as long as they put forth effort. In their first loss to LA, it looked as if the team expected to just walk into the road arena and come away with a victory. They’re significantly more talented than the Lakers, but they actually have to play the game.
The Warriors have some tough games coming up. They need to make sure that they win all of the ones they should definitely win, like this Lakers game. The Dubs don’t enjoy losing to a team so expect their core stars to come out firing in this one, trying to put the Lakers and Luke Walton away early.