Lakers vs. Warriors: Prediction, Preview for Game 6 of 2023 NBA Playoff Series
The Los Angeles Lakers will have another chance to end their Western Conference semifinal series Friday night.
The Golden State Warriors will hope to extend their 2022-23 NBA season once again.
The defending-champion Dubs avoided elimination Wednesday night with a 121-106 win. Six different Warriors hit double digits in that tilt with Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green all netting 20-plus points. Curry led all scorers with 27 points on 12-of-24 shooting, and he tallied eight assists against two turnovers in his 39 minutes.
"I have a lot of confidence we can come back in this series," Curry told reporters afterward. "And until otherwise, we stay in that kind of mindset."
LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined for 48 points in the loss, but it wasn't enough to hang with a Warriors team playing smaller and faster. L.A. shot it well at every level (48.3/37/80 shooting slash), but it isn't built to win a shooting contest against Golden State.
When the Lakers have won in this series, they have set the physical tone and dictated the style of play. In Game 5, they couldn't control the categories that should belong to them. That's why they failed to capitalize on a night in which they held their own from three-point territory, staying within striking distance in makes (10 to 13) and nearly matching the Warriors' splash rate (37 percent to 37.1).
But Golden State grabbed more rebounds (48 to 38), scored more second-chance points (18 to 10) and made more free throws (14 to 12). If L.A. can't get back in control of these areas, it could be in for another long night Friday.
Game 6 Schedule
When: Friday, May 12 at 10 p.m. ET
Where: Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles
TV: ESPN
Stream: Watch ESPN
Game 6 Prediction
After building a 3-1 series lead, the last thing the Lakers want is to have to travel back to San Francisco for a winner-take-all Game 7. While the Warriors can't afford to look that far ahead, chances are they'd like their chances in that contest.
That doesn't mean this series will be definitely won or lost on Friday, but opportunity's knock will never sound sweeter to L.A. than it does right now.
The Lakers should be glad with things have gone so far. It's not just that they've won more games, but it's how they've secured those victories. Their size, length and defense have all mattered in this series. Their shooting deficiencies, meanwhile, haven't always made an impact. Golden State is plus-99 in three-point scoring but only plus-four in the series.
L.A. has had challenges corralling Curry (25.6 points, 8.0 assists), but by his standards, these haven't been volcanic eruptions. You could argue James (23.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists) and Davis (22.4 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks) have been just as impactful, and that's a win for the Lakers.
This is a game L.A. can and arguably should win—but our crystal ball doesn't see the defending champs going out like this.
Curry hasn't had his takeover game in this series. Klay Thompson, who's had more than a few monstrous Game 6 performances in the past, has been more miss than hit in this series, but that could change in an instant. Golden State going smaller and faster has been a tricky chess move for L.A. to match, and its small-ball lineups have another gear they can hit.
Maybe James won't let this chance slip away. Maybe Davis dominates in a way the Warriors are physically unequipped to handle. Those are absolutely possible.
Still, these Warriors have found a way to survive and advance more often than not, and if they can control the tempo Friday, they'll get enough timely triples to escape with a win.
Prediction: Warriors 115, Lakers 109
