NBA Live Score Lakers at Warriors: The Lakers (25-13) head to San Francisco for the front end of a road/home B2B, starting with the Warriors (20-19) on Monday night. Tipoff is at 8.00 AM, IST.
With starting bigs Anthony Davis (right calf strain) and Marc Gasol (health and safety protocols) already on the shelf, things were tricky enough for coach Frank Vogel before he also lost key reserve Alex Caruso (mild concussion), not to mention Jared Dudley (right MCL tear).
The Warriors, on the other hand, are largely healthy, with the huge disclaimer that Klay Thompson is of course out for the season.
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Below are three things to know in advance of the matchup:
NBA Live Score: INJURY LIST GROWS
The starters from Friday’s win over Indiana will likely stick Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, LeBron James, Markieff Morris, and Damian Jones (on his second 10-day contract).
Talen Horton-Tucker should get many of Alex Caruso’s minutes, alongside Wesley Matthews, with Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell manning the frontcourt in a 9-man rotation.
The Warriors, on the other hand, are largely healthy, with the huge disclaimer that Klay Thompson is of course out for the season.
NBA Live Score: LAKERS CATCH A REST ADVANTAGE
While the Warriors have the health edge, the Lakers have an advantage of rest, as they haven’t played since Friday, and GSW is on the 2nd night of a B2B after a Sunday afternoon victory over Utah.
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins were all +19 in the win, as the veteran group of starters (including Kelly Oubre, Jr. and Kevon Looney) outplayed those of Utah considerably.
Coach Steve Kerr plays a younger bench, with No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman and 2nd-year players Jordan Poole and Eric Paschall getting extended minutes, and rookie Nico Mannion recently joining an 11-man rotation.
The Lakers won’t have two days off again until March 29 and 30, and thus, won’t soon have a big rest advantage over an opponent like on Monday. Furthermore, in April, they have two days off only once (April 20/21).
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NBA Live Score: KUZMA’S BIG NIGHT
The Lakers started the fourth quarter of Friday’s game trailing by eight points. Enter Kyle Kuzma, LeBron James, and Montrezl Harrell, who did repeat damage to Indy’s screen/roll defense (with Myles Turner resting and Domantis Sabonis at the five).
LeBron did the orchestrating, and Kuzma fluctuated between roller and spacer on the weak side, attacking the Pacers with 12 of his 15 fourth-quarter points between the 8:43 and 5:58 marks of the final period when his B2B 3’s capped a 23-11 run that produced a 94-90 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
It was a continuation of a really strong season for Kuzma, who has improved considerably in many facets important of the game without losing his ability to go off for 20+ points when needed.
“Kuz was exceptional tonight, a big-time game from him,” said LeBron. “It’s all about growth. The game has just slowed down every year for him … he knows his role with this team, and he does it to a high level. Tonight was another example of that.”
“He’s grown a lot,” said KCP, who’s played with Kuzma since his rookie year of 2017-18. “Being more aggressive on the offensive end … crashing the glass … being in the right position and getting rebounds. He’s playing with great energy, and we need that from him.”
NBA TV coverage: Warriors vs Lakers live in NBA regular season
NBA games will be broadcasted nationally across ESPN and TNT.
NBA Live stream: Warriors vs Lakers Live Stream
Every game will be available live via NBA TV, while the nationally broadcast game will also be available via ESPN digital platforms.
