Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) grabs Los Angeles Lakers' Anthony Davis (3) jersey on a rebound in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
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GAME 1: Lakers at Warriors at Chase Center, at 6 p.m. TV: ESPN. Announcers: Mike Breen (play-by-play), Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy (color commentary), Lisa Salters (sideline reporting).
ODDS: Warriors -6.5. OVER/UNDER: 227.5. (Both from Caesars Sportsbook.)
CURRENT SERIES: Lakers lead 1-0. SEASON SERIES: Lakers went 3-1 against the Warriors in the regular season. PRIOR PLAYOFF HISTORY: Lakers have won 6-of-7 postseason series, including the last one in 1991.
The Warriors nearly had a comeback for the ages in Game 1 against the Lakers. But even after a 14-point burst tied the game, they couldn’t complete the task — and are now facing a big hole.
Golden State will enter Game 2 needing a win to even up the series and with a few interesting adjustments to try and make, especially against the Lakers’ star player.
But that star? It’s not LeBron James. It’s Anthony Davis, who had 30 points, 23 rebounds and a massive impact on Tuesday’s game defensively. How do the Warriors try and defend the Brow — and attack him on the other end, too?
Will we see more Draymond Green at the 5 as the Warriors go small? Or could we perhaps see Jonathan Kuminga pulled off of the bench to try and add some athleticism? The Warriors could also try using a more diversified attacking offense, as they only shot six free throws compared to LA’s 29 in Game 1.
And even though the Warriors just came back from losing the first two games of a series, it’s still a thing. Over 92% of NBA teams that took the first two games of a series went on to win that series, and only six teams have ever lost the first two games at home and still recovered to win the series.
So while it isn’t an elimination game, the stakes for the Warriors are as high as ever on Thursday.
Follow along with our reporters Madeline Kenney, Cam Inman, Shayna Rubin and columnist Dieter Kurtenbach and other analysts providing their thoughts about the game.
Originally published at Alex Simon