Thursday evening the Golden State Warriors will attempt to extend their league-leading six-game winning streak. In order to do so, the Dubs will have to accomplish something that only two teams have managed to do this season — beat the reigning NBA champions at American Airlines Arena. The Miami Heat have been very cautious with Dwyane Wade this regular season and he is a game-time decision for Thursday’s game after missing Wednesday’s practice.
Keys to the game
Off Eff: Warriors: 103.2 (12th) Heat: 109.1 (2nd)
Def Eff: Warriors 98.1 (3rd) Heat: 100.7 (9th)
Pace: Warriors: 99.1 (3rd) Heat: 95.6 (19th)
Turnovers
The Warriors are one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to turning the ball over and we all know how unstoppable LeBron James (and Dwyane Wade, if he plays) is in the open court. When Golden State commits less turnovers than their opponents, they are 9-0. Against a team that often closes out passing lanes and plays suffocating defense on ball handlers, taking care of the ball will be that much more important for the Warriors on Thursday.
Paint
The fact that Miami has a lack of size inside and suffers when it comes to rebounding the ball is something that the Warriors are sure to exploit. David Lee has been very efficient in the last couple of games and his offensive contributions will be highly important against an undersized Heat team.
Limit LeBron James
So, yes, if you could stop LeBron James, that would be great. The King has been unstoppable this season, but he has also been very picky with the shots he takes, watching his efficiency numbers closely. You rarely see him putting up more than 15 to 20 shots, unless he decides to take the game over. The Dubs have a great perimeter defender to throw LeBron’s way in Andre Iguodala and he will have a busy night in South Beach.
Injuries
Heat
Norris Cole (Questionable)
Chris Andersen (Questionable)
Dwyane Wade (Questionable)
Warriors
Jermaine O’Neal (Out)
Festus Ezeli (Out)
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