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After winning Game 1 in Memphis, the Lakers came out sluggish in Game 2 and trailed by 11 after the first quarter. Something similar could happen here, after LeBron James played 40 minutes, Austin Reaves 39 and Anthony Davis 44 in the Lakers' Game 1 upset of Golden State. The Warriors haven't been a great first-quarter team this season, but in this spot they should come out extremely focused. Steve Kerr's adjustments will be critical.
Dennis Schroder's Achilles bothered him in the Memphis series, but the extra rest before Tuesday's Game 1 helped him heal up. He had 19 points, three assists, two rebounds and no turnovers in 31 minutes. Schroder is critical to the Lakers' chances because of his ability to defend the Warriors' shooters, especially Stephen Curry. Look for him to play about 30 minutes and reach double figures in points.
After a two month layoff Andrew Wiggins has not skipped a beat. His postseason average of eighteen points is actually a point higher than his regular season. With the Lakers attempting to key in on Steph Curry, expect Wiggins to have more opportunities on the offensive end tonight. Grab his over as he elevates his play with a twenty plus point night.
Draymond Green said he was "disgusted" by his performance in game 1. I think he has a big bounce back in game 2 and that there are a lot of additional angles to like about this combo line. I will break them all down on the Early Edge in 5 today.
We know the Warriors want to push the pace, However, it is easier to slow the pace ,which is what LeBron James and the Lakers would like. The Lakers got the pace they wanted in Game 1 during the second half, which they won 52-48. On Thursday, look for Game 2 to feature a slower tempo from the outset.
Sacramento was not a good matchup for Poole and he was pretty bad in that series but appeared to get his confidence back by making 6-for-11 from deep (alas, missed the one that counted most) in Game 1 against the Lakers, who are a way better matchup for him. In five of the past six games, Poole has attempted at least six three-pointers. If he does that again, this should go Over as Poole's home splits are significantly better than away.
The Lakers have won and covered the last four meetings with the Warriors and I think they’re going to do it again in Game 2. The Warriors were happy with the long jump shots making 21-of-53 (40%) from 3-range while the Lakers were only 6-of-25 (24%) from long distance but the Lakers banged inside for 54 points to 28 and were rewarded by going to the line 29 times and making 25. Warriors were only 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. That's the ballgame. Great game from Anthony Davis and a bonus performance from Dennis Schroeder. Can the Warriors shoot as well in this game? I'm betting they don’t and the Lakers get the cover.
There's been plenty of debate on whether the shot Jordan Poole took at the end of Game 1 was a good shot or not, but I don't care. What matters to me is that Poole took the shot because there's never been a shot Jordan Poole expects to miss. It's an attitude the Warriors encourage, so bank on him continuing to jack them up tonight, and bet on at least a few of them to go in.
This is one of those times when the prop is paying too much attention to the averages and projections than the matchup. Due to the matchup, the Lakers use Dennis Schroder far more against the Warriors than they do other teams, which has led to Schroder averaging 21.75 points and assists per game against Golden State in four games this season. He plays more because the Lakers don't trust D'Angelo Russell nearly as much against his former team.
I expect Golden State to exact revenge after a painful Game 1 loss at home, and while they very well might cover the spread, I'll stay away. Instead I'll pick the player prop of a guy who grew up rooting for his dad's team, the Lakers. Klay Thompson will be key in the remainder of this series as LA is likely to force the ball out of Stephen Curry's hands as much as they can. Thompson scored 25 points in Game 1 on 25 shots. He's going to be unloading from 3-point range early and often, so I'll predict he makes 6+ threes, scores 25+, and the Warriors even the series.
These two teams combined for 229 points in Game 1. That was despite the Warriors shooting 40.6 percent from the field and the Lakers shooting 24.0 percent from behind the arc. The Warriors did hit 21 of 53 attempts from behind the arc, and they should continue to thrive from deep with the Lakers focusing on packing the paint defensively. The Lakers went 25-for-29 from the charity stripe and I expect them to continue to be productive in that department. During the regular season, the Lakers attempted the most free-throws per game in the league, while the Warriors allowed the sixth-most attempts per game. This has the makings of another high-scoring affair.
This number is crazy high. Still, I can’t imagine taking the under. Kevon Looney has been dominating the glass, including grabbing 23 rebounds in Game 1. He has at least 20 rebounds in four of his last six games. The other two games during that span, he had 14 and 13 rebounds, respectively. The Warriors desperately need his size to battle with Anthony Davis, so he should play plenty of minutes and hit the over along the way.
LeBron James is as cold as ice from deep. He shot 1-for-8 from behind the arc in Game 1 with most of those shots not even being close to going in. In the playoffs, he has shot just 18.4 percent on his three-point attempts. He hit three three-pointers in Game 1 against the Grizzlies, but has not matched that total since. In fact, he has one or no three-pointers in five of his last six games. This number is too high, so I’ll grab the under.
Jordan Poole had a terrible series versus Sacramento, but this matchup is much better for him. Although he missed the potential tying 3-pointer, Poole played a tremendous all-around game, finishing a team-best plus-7 while earning 30 minutes. This, after he averaged 22.8 minutes against the Kings. Poole went 6 of 11 from deep and has now made at least two 3-pointers in all five meetings with the Lakers this season.
Warriors center Kevon Looney, a relentless grinder, is indispensable in this series as Golden State tries to deal with the Lakers' size. Looney grabbed 23 rebounds in 29 minutes Tuesday, and arguably should have played more. (Draymond Green played 34 minutes and was minus-8, while Looney was minus-2 in the five-point loss). In the Warriors' four playoff wins, Looney grabbed 20. 14, 22 and 21 boards. With Golden State facing a must-win Game 2, I'll back Looney to be extremely active on the glass again.