Dub Hub: Steve Kerr’s change to the starting lineup pays off as Warriors tie the series 1-1

Rounding up all the Warriors and NBA news from around the web. 

Good Morning Dub Nation,

The Golden State Warriors handled their business Thursday night, masterfully beating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2, 127-100. The game started off with a big change to the starting lineup. While everyone expected head coach Steve Kerr to shake things up for Game 2, they were not expecting Warriors big man JaMychal Green being the key player stepping up. However, after a minimal role all season long, Green came through with his biggest performance of the year as Kerr praised the nine-year veteran for always staying ready.

Starting Green gave several advantages to the Warriors. He adds another shooter which maximizes the team’s spacing, maintains decent enough defensive size, and allows the team to stagger big men Kevon Looney and Draymond Green. The results were evident as Looney (+11) and Draymond (+15) dominated their minutes on the floor while J. Green finished the night with 15 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the three-point line.

Of course, everything with the Warriors begins and ends with Stephen Curry. Although he didn’t assert his dominance through sheer scoring prowess as he did in Sacramento, Curry still dominated this game through a different facet of his game: his playmaking. Curry ended the night with 12 assists to add to his 20 points while committing just 3 turnovers. With his on-ball usage significantly higher than it was in Game 1, Curry completely took over the game — a testament to his vast versatility on the offensive end.

As good as Curry was passing the ball, his Splash Brother Klay Thompson was equally impressive scoring the ball. Thompson feasted on the Lakers perimeter defenders and was the game’s leading scorer with 30 points on a scorching hot 8-of-11 shooting from deep.

Meanwhile, Draymond Green shut down Anthony Davis on the defensive end, holding him to just 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field. Green’s disruptive defense kept Davis off rhythm all night long, which in turn, threw off the entire Lakers team.

The Warriors emphasized pushing the pace in transition in order to prevent the Lakers’ defense from getting set. This aggressiveness was especially critical in getting Davis into foul trouble. He had three fouls at the half and whenever he was pulled out of the game, the drop off in the Lakers’ defense was blatantly obvious.

Overall, Game 2 was a classic Warriors victory which saw positive contributions made throughout the team. Now tied at 1-1, the series heads down south to Los Angeles as the Warriors attempt to regain home court advantage on Saturday night.

Here are the rest of today’s stories:

In case you missed it from Golden State of Mind:

• Warriors spread the floor and push the Steph Curry pick-and-roll button to even the series against the Lakers
• Player grades: Game 2
• Klay Thompson leads Warriors to blowout victory over Lakers in must-win Game 2
• Warriors to start JaMychal Green in place of Kevon Looney in Game 2
• Steve Kerr urges Jonathan Kuminga to ‘stay ready’ despite lack of playing time

Other Warriors News:

• Warriors puncture lethargic Lakers defense in Game 2, tie second-round series (The Athletic)
• Warriors’ adjustments pay off in Game 2 blowout of Lakers (ESPN)
• LeBron’s faith in Lakers’ defense intact despite Dubs drubbing (ESPN)
• Klay Thompson vows to honor Kobe Bryant with effort on road vs. Lakers (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga are griping about their Warriors roles (SF Gate)

NBA News:

• Bucks fire coach Mike Budenholzer after early exit (ESPN)
• Inside Joe Mazzulla’s adjustments to shut down James Harden, Joel Embiid (The Athletic)
• Patrick Beverley says he and Russell Westbrook want rings if Lakers win NBA title (Yahoo Sports)
• Boston’s Marcus Smart wins 2022-23 NBA Hustle Award (NBA)
• Former NBA player and executive Lance Blanks dead at 56 (NBA)

A tweet to end the week:

In Game 7 against the Sacramento Kings, a Warriors fan went viral as he celebrated Curry putting up a 50-point masterpiece. The same fan showed up to Game 2 on Thursday night and received a special gift courtesy of Curry. Have a good weekend Dub Nation!