The Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 123-116 in a regular season matchup with playoff implications. The win is not just about the score, but also provides an important reference value for the possible meeting between the two sides in the future playoffs. For the Warriors, this victory avoids the embarrassment of being swept by the Lakers in the regular season, while for the Lakers, after missing Anthony Davis, the center of the core, they exposed the hidden dangers of the new model of the lineup.
No inside pillar, Lakers and Warriors lineup convergence
When Davis was out due to injury, the Lakers lost the only big man who could play a supporting role in the interior. This directly led to a major change in the Lakers’ tactical play, the team no longer rely on the center, but to take a more mobile small-ball tactics, which is quite similar to the Warriors’ regular play. In previous meetings, the Lakers had a 3-1 lead over the Warriors, but two of the victories were achieved with Davis in the lineup, and that way of playing can no longer serve as a realistic reference for today’s Lakers.
This game and the third meeting between the two teams is very similar, are in the absence of Davis in the background, when the Lakers have just completed the transaction, the players have not yet integrated, today’s game can be said to be a real “control experiment”. In this case, the two teams’ lineups are almost the same, who can better adjust the strategy, seize the opportunity, will be able to control the initiative.
The details of the small-ball matchup: Curry is a step ahead of James
Without a traditional center in the lineup, both teams are pinning their hopes on “flexible big men” like James and Dream Green. This small-ball style of play emphasizes fast movement and space pulling, but also requires players to defend the three-second zone at the same time, must quickly rotate to the outside to limit the opponent’s three-point shooting. Who can grab the rebound, who can hit the open three decisively, will directly affect the game trend.
In the first half of this game, the Warriors’ three-point hitting rate is higher than the Lakers, especially Bo Jiemski performance is bright, frequently in the perimeter. In contrast, the Lakers’ outside feeling cold, many three-point opportunities failed to convert into points. This allows the Warriors in the early part of the game to establish a lead of more than 10 points, the Lakers passive response, never able to turn the situation.
The reason why the Warriors were able to take the initiative in this stage, the key lies in Curry’s rapid response ability. In the first quarter, Curry suffered two Lakers clamped, almost no three-point shot opportunity, he only threw once and did not hit. But soon, Curry gave up the strong three-point shot, and turned to use the breakthrough to name the Lakers’ Luca, creating a chance to make a basket or split the ball to assist, which drove the entire Warriors’ offensive rhythm.
James strategy adjustment a little late, but still show dominance
Compared with Curry’s flexible adjustments, James’ tactical changes appear to be slightly late. In the first half of the game, he was more like “watching the battle”, the offensive opportunity to teammates to try, trying to open the situation through the perimeter shooter. However, the Lakers outside players poor performance, two quarters of 23 three-point shots only hit 8 balls, lost the possibility of chasing points.
It was only in the third quarter that James began to force the basket, frequently naming Bojamski, a weak link in the defense, scoring 12 points in only half a quarter, while also forcing Chase Green into foul trouble (accumulated to the 4th). This style of play was along the same lines as Curry’s, but James started a quarter late and the team was already at a disadvantage on the scoreboard and couldn’t come back.
Fine-tuning defensive strategy vs. offensive efficiency
The Lakers also made adjustments in their defense of Curry in the second half, no longer using double-teaming tactics but allowing him to control the ball on the perimeter in an attempt to reduce the risk of the interior being pulled open. But Curry used space instead to play more comfortable, many breakthroughs to score or create fouls. Of his 37 points in the game, 13 came from free throws, 12 from the basket, and only 12 from three-pointers. Comparison of data is not difficult to find, Curry in this game’s offense choice is obviously more comprehensive, no longer rely on three-point.
Warriors also consciously limit the Lakers core Luca’s play. Luca was focused on the first half of the defense, almost no decent offensive opportunities, failed to open the scoring rhythm in the first quarter, resulting in the whole game are in a state of struggle. Once he was unable to score in the opening phase of the outburst, the Lakers’ morale is greatly affected.
Substitutions make the difference: Bojamski beats Reeves
The performance of the substitutes was also an important factor in this game. Lakers guard Reeves has been the team’s stable third scoring point, and his performance is not bad, but today Bojamski put on a personal masterpiece. He not only hit a career-high eight three-pointers, but also scored close to a career high, completely igniting the Warriors’ bench. The two could almost be considered “interchangeable performances”, but Bojamski clearly contributed more to the Warriors’ victory.
Butler’s presence is lower in the numbers, but his impact is still key. Since he joined the Warriors, the Warriors achieved 20 wins and 4 losses, a winning percentage of 83.3%, almost equal to the current league ranking of the first Thunder. This also means that the current Warriors have the strength to compete with the top teams in the league.
If they meet in the playoffs, the Warriors and Lakers may play seven games.
Combining this game with the Lakers’ 26-point lead, the two teams have each won one game, have similar lineups, and have extremely close styles of play. If the two teams meet again in the playoffs, it will probably be a round of high-intensity, back-and-forth seven-game battle. Who can ultimately advance will likely depend on who has home court advantage.
As of now, the Warriors are slightly better in terms of maturity on both offense and defense, overall coordination, and the resilience of their core players. Although the Lakers have the dominance of James, if Davis can’t stay healthy, it may be difficult for the Lakers to fight the Warriors to the end in the series.
Summary:
This Warriors-Lakers matchup is not just an ordinary win or loss, but an early preview of a playoff trial. Both teams are trying out new lineups and playing styles, and whoever can adapt to the changes faster and whoever can play a contingency strategy may have a head start in the real showdown ahead. And today Curry’s decisiveness and Bojamski’s outburst is the answer for the Warriors to win the crucial battle.
