The Golden State Warriors (36-3) took one on the chin last night after a costly Stephen Curry turnover with 8 seconds to go officially snapped the team's seven-game winning streak with a 112-110 road loss to the Denver Nuggets. Golden State has a fantastic shot at redemption tonight in the second game of a back-to-back, hosting a Los Angeles Lakers squad (9-31) that could be missing Kobe Bryant due to injury. Here's our preview and prediction for tonight's action in Oakland.
Game Info:
When: 10:30 p.m. EST
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
TV: CSN Bay Area (Warriors local), TNT (National)
Spread: Warriors by 17
What's At Stake:
The Warriors have won 36 straight regular-season home games and are a perfect 18-0 at Oracle this year. A win against the Lakers will move Golden State into a tie for the third-longest streak in NBA history. As for Los Angeles, a victory would make for two straight after a four-game losing streak -- along with giving Los Angeles' young core a huge confidence boost going forward.
What They're Saying About The Los Angeles Lakers:
Kobe Bryant intends to play against Golden State
Julius Randle suffering most from stagnant offense
Can Lakers hand Warriors their first losing streak?
What They're Saying About The Golden State Warriors:
Kobe Bryant from a Warriors fan's perspective
Will Warriors resting players become a trend?
Draymond holds small lead over Kawhi for All-Star spot
Key To The Game:
This may sound weird, but Lakers fans should hope that Stephen Curry plays extended minutes on Thursday. The 2014-15 NBA MVP hasn't played more than 30 minutes in the teams' first two meetings this seasons -- games which the Warriors have won by an average margin of 27.5 points. For Los Angeles to keep this close, they'll have to engage Golden State's tired legs in a back-and-forth shootout and consistently hit mid-range shots. The Lakers defense isn't built to contain an offense predicated on movement like that of the Warriors, so they'll have to have the top shooting game of their season to send the Warriors to back-to-back defeats.
Prediction: Warriors Win 125-103
The Lakers got back on track with a win over a shorthanded Pelicans team this week, but they looked absolutely awful previously during a four-game losing streak. Golden State opened things off on that streak with a 109-88 beatdown of LA, and it'll be more of the same on Thursday.
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