On the day before Thanksgiving, the Golden State Warriors devoured and feasted on the injured Los Angeles Lakers (149-106). On Friday night, the Lakers will try to prevent the Warriors from enjoying their second course.
The Lakers clearly missed the presence of D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. Russell will miss his third straight game of the season and won’t likely return for a few weeks. Randle didn’t play the game on Wednesday because of a hip injury. He is considered doubtful along with Nick Young, who suffered a toe sprain on Wednesday.
If the Lakers have any shot of competing against the Warriors, they would need Young and Randle to be fully healthy on the court. With Russell being out, Randle is the Lakers’ second best playmaker. His ability to find his teammates in transition is crucial to the success of the Lakers’ offense.
On Wednesday night, the Lakers allowed the Warriors to dish out a franchise-best 47 assists. The Warriors’ offense was tremendous and dissected the Lakers every time they got the ball. It will be a tough task to accomplish, but the Lakers need to do a better job on the defensive end. They just can’t allow the Warriors’ big three of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson to all have successful games.
The Lakers have shown the ability to bounce back after a tough game. The Lakers (8-8) will try to avoid falling under .500. If there is one silver lining for Friday’s game—the Lakers have won two straight games against the Warriors at Staples center by an average margin of 18.5 points. Hopefully, the LA nightlife and the turkey hangover will help the Lakers win their third straight at home against the Warriors.
The game will be televised on NBA TV and Spectrum SportsNet at 7:30 PM.
