After their finest performance of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers look to extend their winning streak to six games as they travel to Oakland to battle the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers will almost not certainly beat the Warriors by 55 points, as they did the Cavaliers last night, but the Lakers have beaten the Warriors 11 straight times. The Lakers have won five straight games at Golden State.
Since Andrew Bynum has joined the starting lineup, the Lakers are 7-1. They have outscored opponents by nearly 14 points, on average, during that stretch, and have been solid on both ends of the floor. On offense, the Lakers have averaged 1.14 points per possession during their last eight games, and on defense they have allowed just 0.99 points per possession.
The Lakers have beaten the Warriors twice this season, once by 24 points and once by 28 points, but both of those games were in Los Angeles. In addition to beating Golden State 11 straight times, they have won 25 of their last 28 games against the Warriors. Pau Gasol in particular has enjoyed his two games against the Warriors this season, averaging 27 points and 11 rebounds. In the last game, on November 21, Gasol had a perfect night, making all 10 field goals and all eight free throws en route to his 28-point effort.
The Warriors have been off since Sunday, when they lost to the Clippers at Staples Center. It is a Los Angeles-heavy week for the Warriors, as they host the Clippers on Friday night as well. Golden State has won three straight games at Oracle Arena, and are 9-6 at home this season. Tonight's 7:30 p.m. PST game will be televised on KCAL.
For more news and information on tonight's game, be sure to read Silver Screen and Roll.