Lakers vs. Warriors: Prediction, Preview for Game 3 of 2023 NBA Playoff Series

After a thriller in Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, Game 2 was a classic postseason blowout by the defending champions with a 127-100 win for the Warriors at Chase Center.

But as the teams head south to Tinseltown and Crypto.com Arena, one of those two squads and its superstar leader—Stephen Curry or LeBron James—will have the opportunity to put some pressure on this series.

Saturday's pivotal matchup has the potential of turning this series on its head, as teams that win Game 3 when a series is tied 1-1 go on to advance over 70 percent of the time.

And the momentum is certainly with the Warriors following their outstanding performance Thursday, namely from Klay Thompson.

Thompson, usually a clutch postseason performer for Golden State, had his best performance of this playoff run in Game 2, dropping 30 points and finishing with eight made three-pointers.

The Warriors ended up shooting 50 percent from three-point range in the victory, a great recipe for success for any team.

Curry was also sensational, dropping 20 points to go along with 12 assists for a double-double on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting from the field.

Golden State's top two stars combined for 50 points.

As for the Lakers, it was another rough performance for Anthony Davis, who was coming off his own best performance of the playoffs in Game 1, with 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks.

He came nowhere near that Thursday night, with 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks as his roller-coaster postseason continued.

Davis' performance will be one of the main storylines moving forward, especially over the next couple of games in Los Angeles.

Here is a look at the key details for Saturday's matchup.

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Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers Game 3

Date: Saturday, May 6

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Channel: ABC

Stream: Watch ESPN

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Prediction

Given the tenor of Game 1, there shouldn't be too many performances in this series that wind up being as one-sided as Thursday's. So, Game 3 is primed to be another shootout between the two deep and talented squads.

Crypto.com Arena is going to be rocking Saturday night, and James is still searching for his signature moment and performance in this series as the Lakers look to respond.

And despite a couple of big road wins in Round 1 against the Kings, including Game 7, it's still hard to trust the Warriors when they are away from the Chase Center after they went 11-30 on the road in the regular season.

It was the worst mark of any team to make the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Lakers have yet to lose at home so far in the playoffs, as they dominated the Grizzlies three times at Crypto.com Arena, including a 40-point win in the closeout Game 6.

Ss great as Curry and Thompson are, shooting 50 percent from three in any playoff game won't likely be sustainable in the long run. And Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is bound to come up with a few adjustments to help weather the storm.

But it'll of course come down to what Davis will be able to produce on both ends of the floor. The Lakers not only need his scoring but also his rebounding ability against a force like Kevon Looney.

Davis has typically followed up his poor performances with a strong bounce-back, and Saturday shouldn't be any different. Expect him to be the difference as L.A. defends its home floor.

Prediction: Lakers 115, Warriors 111