01/21: Remembering MLK: LAKERS vs. Warriors 1st Half Open Thread

Welcome in to the first half open thread of the Lakers-Warriors matchup as the NBA remembers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

GSW 65 LAL 55

It would've been better if it was still down to single digits. The Warriors did try to put this game out of reach early. But, the Lakers as shorthanded as they are, trail by 10 points at the half. Michael Beasley and Ivica Zubac have provided some scoring punch off the bench with a combined 15 points. They were aggressive inside early. Zubac was unstoppable in the Christmas Day matchup. This time, he runs into a tougher matchup in Boogie. And so far? Nothing has fazed the Zupacalypse. Kyle Kuzma came alive just a little bit at the half. Ingram is running point and so far has been effective. What's keeping this from being a blowout is that only one player out of the Warriors' "Fab Five," Klay Thompson is already way into double figures. Durant just barely with 10 points. The rest haven't hit their groove, Curry especially. The biggest concern is allowing the Warriors' other players to go off. Alfonso McKinnie has hit a pair of threes to help balloon Golden State's lead. Like I said, the Lakers may not have enough firepower to pull this off against the Golden State Western All-Stars. But, if they can keep this game tight throughout the 2nd half without LeBron, Zo, and Rondo on the floor, it would be a moral victory. A win would be great though! The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

GSW 29 LAL 24

Well, the Lakers get a crack at the NBA's Thanos and so far, not bad. The Warriors are more than capable of turning up the scoring, but they got off to a slow start, which benefits the Lakers a bit. It also helps that Boogie Cousins is in foul trouble. Can you believe that? Just his second game in and he's in foul trouble again. It's gonna be key to take out one of the "Infinity Stones" early on here and the Lakers gotta take advantage of Golden State's turnovers. They may lose this game, but it'll be a moral victory if they manage to keep this game close.