With Stephen Curry out for at least the next week, Anthony Edwards and the Wolves will try to swing the momentum back into their hands tonight as they host Game 2.
After a 2 assist, 3 turnover Game 1, Ant will have to give more effort on both ends of the floor to defeat Steve Kerr and this Warriors rotation that might go 11 or 12 deep tonight.
While Curry is sidelined at least a week with a hamstring injury that saw him exit Game 1’s victory early on, Steve Kerr will have to put on a coaching performance of a lifetime to lift Golden State above Minnesota in this best-of-seven series.
Golden State held on with their defense on Tuesday, holding the Wolves to just 88 points, including just one first-half point for Anthony Edwards. The Golden State zone has given both Houston and Minnesota trouble.
They should be able to mix it up on the defensive end with more minutes heading to Gary Payton, Podz, and Pat Spencer in the backcourt - three solid perimeter defenders. Outside of last night’s OKC blowout, each game in this round has been extremely tight, and I expect that trend to continue tonight with Game 2.
One player that will get around 30 minutes of playtime with the Curry absence is Gary Payton II. Payton is Steve Kerr’s go-to bench guard when he needs a spark.
In the 2022 NBA Finals, Payton averaged 7 PPG and 3.2 boards per game in just 18.5 minutes of play against Boston. This postseason, he’s averaged 6.6 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 17.4 minutes of game time.
In games where GPII has played 20+ minutes, he’s 3 of 4 hitting the 13-point & rebound prop. With added minutes in Kerr’s rotation, take Gary Payton II to make an impact on both ends of the floor as a slashing and rebounding defender.
Coach Finch criticized Anthony Edwards in his Game 1 postgame presser - and deservingly so. Edwards was slow to get back on defense, arguing with officials at times. He didn’t play like a star in Game 1, scoring just 1 first-half point and finishing the game with 2 assists.
This call-out should light a spark under Edwards, who is coming off an incredible series against the Lakers. Rebounding is one of the effort stats, and as one of the best players in the league, Ant needs to give more effort in Game 2.
This prop has hit in four straight games for the star, while he’s averaging 14.8 rebounds & assists throughout this postseason.