Game Preview: Warriors at Lakers - 11/13/19

The Warriors make a quick stop in Los Angeles on Wednesday night for a one-game road trip against the Lakers. After playing each other four times in the preseason, of which the Dubs won the fourth and final game at Chase Center, this will be the first time the two squads go head-to-head out of their four scheduled meetings this season. The two teams enter the game on opposite ends of the standings, as the Lakers lead the West with an 8-2 record while the Dubs currently occupy last place at 2-9.

MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
GSW (2-9, 15th in West) vs. LAL (8-2, 1st in West)
Scoring: GSW 111.7 ppg (14th); LAL 109.9 ppg (16th)
Rebounding: GSW 44.5 rpg (21st); LAL 46.3 rpg (12th); Assists: GSW 24.2 apg (12th); LAL 26.5 apg (3rd)

LAST TIME OUT
D’Angelo Russell kept the hot hand going with his fourth straight game of 30-or-more points, which included four three-pointers in the first quarter. However, the Utah Jazz had a splash party of their own with 16 made treys on 45.7 percent shooting from deep, enough to defeat the Dubs 122-108. Full Recap

LAST GAME'S STARTERS
GSW: D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Poole, Glen Robinson III, Draymond Green and Willie Cauley-Stein
Lakers: Avery Bradley, Danny Green, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and JaVale McGee

INJURY & ROSTER NOTES
GSW: Omari Spellman (left ankle sprain) is available. Stephen Curry (left hand fracture), Jacob Evans (left abductor strain), Kevon Looney (neuropathy), Alen Smailagić (right ankle sprain) and Klay Thompson (left ACL rehab) are out. Team Notes
LAL: DeMarcus Cousins (rehabilitation, right knee) and Anthony Davis (sore right shoulder) is out. Talen Horton-Tucker (assignment), Kostas Antetokounmpo and Zach Norvell Jr. (two-way contracts) are with the South Bay Lakers. Team Notes

NOTABLE FEAT FOR POOLE
Rookie Jordan Poole missed his lone free throw attempt in Monday’s loss to the Jazz, ending his streak of 23 consecutive makes from the free throw line. Poole is the first Warrior in 20 years to begin a career with a free throw streak that long, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, and he is the first Warriors rookie to make at least 23 straight free throws at any point of a season since Klay Thompson made 29 straight during the 2011-12 season. Poole’s free throw streak ended during what otherwise was his best shooting performance in 10 days. Poole shot 5-for-11 from the floor against Utah’s tough defense, ending a stretch of five games in which he shot at or below 33 percent from the field in each one. As the Warriors deal with their share of injuries, players like Poole will have opportunities to show that they belong to be in the rotation when the team approaches full strength.

L.A. LAKERS SCOUTING SCOUTING REPORT
The Lakers are led by the All-Star frontcourt of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, both of whom are averaging a double-double; Davis’ 26.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and career-high 2.9 blocks all lead Los Angeles, while James adds another 24.0 points and dishes a team-high 11.0 assists per night. Though the duo are a constant scoring threat, they are two of just four Lakers to average double digits in scoring, the others being Avery Bradley (10.0) and Kyle Kuzma (12.3). What has been key for the Lakers this season is their defense: they have the second best defensive rating in the league, behind Utah, and have limited their opponents to 101.6 points per game, the third best mark in the NBA.