Warriors vs. Lakers Prediction: Will Klay Thompson Show Up in Game 5?
The Warriors find themselves down 1-3 to the Lakers after losing both games on the road. Will Klay Thompson show up in Game 5 tonight? Ben Rajavuori answers and breaks down this highly anticipated game.
Ben Rajavuori - May 10, 2023, 4:38 PM EDT
5 minWarriors vs. Lakers Prediction: Will Klay Thompson Show Up in Game 5?
The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers travel back to the Chase Center for Game 5 in what has been an exciting series, to say the least. The Warriors find themselves down 1-3 to the Lakers after losing both games on the road.
Warriors vs. Lakers Game 5 Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2023
- Time: 10:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: TNT
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers Game 5 Prediction
The Lakers have LeBron James, who is arguably the best player of all time. The Warriors have Steph Curry, who is arguably the best shooter of all time, so we knew we were going to get a good series coming in. Now, the Warriors find themselves with their backs against the wall heading home, as they will need to pull off three wins a row to advance and defend their title. As such, the Warriors are 7.5-point favorites tonight. Who can we expect to step up with the Warriors in a win-or-go-home scenario?
The player I love to score in this game is Klay Thompson. Sure, Curry will still get his, but Klay has the opportunity for a massive game here. For starters, the Lakers have been doubling Curry and have been all over him the entire series. As a result, Curry shot 12-30 (40%) from the field in game four and just 3-14 (21.4%) from three, which is not a Curry-esque stat line. Part of this is because of the difficult shots Curry was forced into by the Laker's defense.
The Lakers have been on him like sauce on ribs. Curry racked up 14 assists in game four despite a poor perimeter shooting effort, which is what I expect more of in game five. The Lakers know they have to slow Curry down to stop the small ball-style of play the Warriors used to beat the Lakers in Game 2. Because of this, Curry has had to dish it out more, leading Klay to take more shots.
While Curry is still the postseason-scoring leader on the Warriors with 30.6 points per game, Klay is putting up 20.3 points per game. However, at home, the margin shortens a little. Curry averages 28 points per game at home in the postseason, while Klay averages 23.2 points. Klay has also been attempting more outside shots, as he has 11.0 three-point attempts per game at home in the postseason, while Curry is at 10.6 attempts per game.
Klay Thompson shot a combined 8-25 (32%) in games three and four on the road against the Lakers, but over the first two games at home, he shot a combined 20-43 (47%) from the field. Klay has historically always been a better shooter at home, so I expect him to have a nice bounce-back game after two poor road games. With the Lakers showing major attention to Curry, I expect Klay to be the main three-point shooter tonight. He shot 6-16 from three in game one and an insane 8-11 from three in game two. I think we see a vintage Klay Thomspon game tonight, and he ends up scoring 30+ in a Warriors win.
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers Game 5 Pick
- 1 Unit Pick: Klay Thompson O22.5 Points -110 is currently the best odds. Click here to find out which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
- .5 Unit Pick: Klay Thompson 30+ Points +360 is currently the best odds. Click here to find out which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
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