NBA Schedule: Los Angeles Lakers Get Another Shot At Golden State Warriors

When the NBA regular season started, the Los Angeles Lakers built up some hype when they shocked the Golden State Warriors with an upset victory. The team has proven that they are much further along in the rebuilding process than some had initially predicted. With a couple of games under their belts now, the Warriors are looking dominant once again. On Wednesday, Golden State and Los Angeles will have their rematch, as reported by ESPN.

Highlights: @NickSwagyPYoung hits the game winner with 5 seconds left to give the Lakers the win over the Thunder. pic.twitter.com/nTJKHjndcg

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 23, 2016

With Kevin Durant joining Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, the Golden State Warriors knew that they needed an adjustment period before they could find the chemistry that the team needs to get back to the NBA Finals. Considering that they are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak, it appears that the Warriors might have figured out some of the formula. They may not break their win record from last season, but they are going to be a force in the postseason again.

Not only have the Golden State Warriors been winning games, they have been scoring with ease. The team is averaging 120 points per game during the winning streak, and that should send fear throughout the NBA. Even with a great night of defense, it is going to be hard for people to keep Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green from putting up a ton of points.

Another thing that should cause concern for the Los Angeles Lakers is the fact that the Golden State Warriors are leading the NBA in assists. That means that they are moving the ball around freely. It makes it harder to defend when you do not know which star is going to be putting up the shots. Lakers head coach Luke Walton is aware of the ball movement that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr preaches. He was there on the bench with them for a couple of seasons as the system was implemented.

The Los Angeles Lakers are not too shabby on the offensive end, either. They have gone from being one of the worst scoring units in the NBA to currently being the third best team on offense. Fortunately for the Golden State Warriors, they have superstar players who are not to get their hands dirty on the defensive side of the ball. The Warriors simply do not need to outscore the Lakers to get the win.

One of the big things that was being discussed early in the season was how the Golden State Warriors were struggling to defend the rim. The team lost Festus Ezeli in free agency to the Portland Trail Blazers and traded away Andrew Bogut to the Dallas Mavericks. The latter was sent away because the Warriors needed the extra cap space to sign Kevin Durant. To help alleviate some of the defensive woes, Durant has focused on being more of an interior defender than he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

D’Angelo Russell is not expected to play against the Golden State Warriors. That means that Louis Williams, Jordan Clarkson, and Nick Young will need to be on their game on offense. They are going to have to keep up with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, both of whom are capable of having huge scoring nights. It will certainly be a perimeter shootout, which should please fans in the audience and those watching on television.

Brandon Ingram could prove to be the X-Factor. The rookie forward from Duke has shown some of his scoring potential as of late. He will be coming off of the bench, but there is a very good chance that Luke Walton will have him playing some defense against Kevin Durant, the player that Ingram has been routinely compared to.

[Featured Image by Andy Lyons/Getty Images]