The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers will restart their Western Conference Semifinals series on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, which is now tied at 1-1. The game begins at 5:30 p.m. PT in Los Angeles.
Update Injury for Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers
Golden State won game two, tying the series before it moved to Los Angeles. The Warriors were locked in on Thursday, outscoring the Lakers by a combined score of 84-47 in the second and third quarters. Will they play the same tune on the road in game three?
Golden State’s Klay Thompson led the way in game two with 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 8-for-11 from three. The Warriors outrebounded the Lakers 55-40 and shot 50.5 percent as a team, including 21-for-42 from three.
In the first two games of a playoff series, they set an NBA record with 42 three-pointers.
In 30 minutes, Stephen Curry had 20 points (7-12 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), four rebounds, 12 assists, and one steal.
The Lakers continued to rush Curry and throw double teams at him, but the former MVP made the right selections and finished with a game-high 12 assists, his highest in the playoffs since 2014.
It’ll be fascinating to watch whether the Lakers change their defensive strategy in Game 3, but given his track record, Curry should be able to handle any challenge the Lakers throw at him.
Following a poor performance in game two, Los Angeles is relieved to be returning home. Nonetheless, the Lakers did what they needed to do in San Francisco, winning one game as the visiting team. Can Los Angeles reclaim its mojo on its home court on Saturday evening?
In 33 minutes, Anthony Davis finished with 11 points (5-11 FG, 1-1 FT), seven rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and one steal.
After a great 30-point, 20-rebound performance in Game 1, Davis attempted only 11 shots in Game 2, his second-lowest total of the series. He also had a game-high four turnovers and, like the rest of Los Angeles’ starters, did not play in the fourth quarter as Golden State extended its lead to 30 points after three quarters.
With Kevon Looney (sickness) not 100 percent on Thursday, the Warriors started Draymond Green at center, so Green’s defensive brilliance undoubtedly had a role in Davis’ bad offensive night.
It’ll be intriguing to see how Golden State matches up in Game 3, as Green’s switch to Davis appeared to have a knock-on effect, allowing LeBron James to go hot in the first half. In any case, the Lakers will almost certainly need Davis and James to be at their best to avoid losing home-court advantage over the next two games.
James (foot) is expected to play in Game 3 against the Warriors on Saturday.
When it comes to James and Anthony Davis (foot), probable tags are par for the course, and there hasn’t been much anxiety about either player in several weeks.
After a disastrous performance in Game 2, James and Davis will be attempting to get the Lakers back on track.
- Read also: Lakers Provides LeBron James’s Injury Update
Injury report Lakers:
PLAYER | INJURY | STATUS |
LeBron James | Foot | Game Time Decision |
Anthony Davis | Foot | Game Time Decision |
Mo Bamba | Ankle | Game Time Decision |
Injury report Warriors:
PLAYER | INJURY | STATUS |
Andre Iguodala | Wrist | Expected to be out until at least May 8 |
Patrick Baldwin Jr. | Toe | Game Time Decision |
Ryan Rollins | Foot | Out for the season |