Lakers at Warriors
Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson became a much richer man this week and he should be eager to prove his worth when the Warriors host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night. Thompson signed a four-year, $70-million extension Friday, the maximum he could be paid under the new collective-bargaining agreement. Thompson is one of only five players in league history to shoot at least 40 percent from 3-point range in his first three years in the league.
The Lakers are off to their first 0-3 start since 1978 and they’ll be playing their second set of back-to-back games in the first five days of the season. They got blown out in their first two losses but played much tighter in a 118-111 loss to the Clippers on Friday night. Los Angeles did a better job of sharing the ball as Jordan Hill took as many shots as Kobe Bryant (15) and made 10 to finish with a team-high 23 points.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, TWC SN (Los Angeles), CSN-Bay Area (Golden State).
ABOUT THE LAKERS (0-3): Another positive sign out of the loss to the Clippers was the offensive production from point guard Jeremy Lin. He scored 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting and also handed out nine assists in the third game with his new team. Steve Nash won’t be coming back this season but the Lakers still have some depth at point guard, evident by the six points and four assists Ronnie Price pitched in against the Clippers.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (1-0): Golden State was able to ease its way into the season with a fairly easy win against the Kings on Wednesday, followed by two days off to wait for the Lakers. Draymond Green continues to look like one of the great steals of the 2012 draft, as he produced 12 points and 10 rebounds against Sacramento. Green more than doubled his scoring average from his rookie season (2.9) to last year (6.2) and there’s no reason to believe he can’t average double figures this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Warriors SG Andre Iguodala came off the bench for the first time in his 10-year career in the season opener.
2. Golden State PF David Lee is questionable to play because of a hamstring issue. He missed the season opener with the ailment.
3. In the loss to the Clippers, the Lakers avoided losing three games in a row by at least 18 points for the first time since 1975.