The Los Angeles Lakers get a quick turnaround to pick up where they left off against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night. Friday’s 126-114 winFriday’s 126-114 win was a balance of physicality and some hot shooting from the role players surround LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Davis’ finished game one with 37 points and 10 rebounds, putting a stop to the Lakers game one losing streak in this playoff’s openers.
Will Dwight Howard Start?
Dwight Howard was sensational in game one with 13 points and two blocks. JaVale McGee needed the relief leading into the second half after an uphill start to the game. Howard’s success in the Lakers scheme is right in line with the style that Nikola Jokic aims to play. It has yet to be determined, but Dwight made a huge case to start game two.
Frank Vogel is considering starting Dwight Howard in Game 2, as he did to start the 2nd half of Game 1, but won’t release that info until it’s required, which is 30 minutes before tip off.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 19, 2020
Turning Mistakes Into Points
These playoffs, the Lakers are the top team in points off turnovers averaging 19.3 per game. They’ve continued to use that attack to their advantage in the playoffs in transition. This is another category that they’ve been amongst the elite with 15.5 fastbreak points per game. They ended up hitting right over the marker with 16 points in game one. If they can duplicate these numbers, expect to see the Lakers in thick of victory in game 2.
The Ball Finding Shooters
The Lakers moved the ball well on Friday as they got 33 assists on the night. Even better, they did a lot of the scoring damage from three with a 42.3 percent performance. The old saying about the ball having energy will never die and for the Lakers, it means less responsibility of Davis and James when guys are making shots.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM EST/4:30 PM PST on Sunday.
