Dorian Finney-Smith says Game 2 is a must-win game for the Lakers
After losing Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers can get back into the series with a victory in Game 2. But a loss would mean taking a 0-2 series deficit into Minnesota, a place they have had lots of troubling winning games at, for the following two games.
Plenty may feel reluctant to call Game 2 a must-win game for the Lakers, given that it is so early in the series. But given the fact that the team has lost seven of its last eight games at Target Center and was 19-22 on the road in the regular season, it should treat Game 2 as one it absolutely needs to claim.
Advertisement
That is the attitude forward Dorian Finney-Smith seems to have.
Via Silver Screen and Roll:
'Every game different,' Finney-Smith said. 'Just got to come out there and be the better team. They was the better team first game. It's a whole new game. We just got to try to come out here and get this win. It's a must-win. Especially if we're trying to do something special, we have to get this win.'
A number of Lakers players, including Finney-Smith, will need to play better offensively in Game 2 in order to get into the victory column. On Saturday, he had just three points and shot 1-of-5 from the field in L.A.'s 117-95 loss. Overall, the team's bench only produced 13 points.
When Finney-Smith is consistently throwing in darts from 3-point range, he tends to lift the team's ceiling almost all by himself.
Game 2 will take place at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. Pacific time.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Dorian Finney-Smith says Game 2 is a must-win game for the Lakers
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Draymond Green disagrees with LeBron James' idea for NBA schedule change
Draymond Green disagrees with LeBron James' idea for NBA schedule change Each NBA season is long and arduous, and it tests every single player in the league from day one until the moment each team is done for the year. Many people have suggested that the league shorten its schedule from 82 games for each team to roughly 60 in order to reduce fatigue and injuries, as well as possibly increase the quality of play. Such proposals will likely never see the light of day, mostly because it would mean reduced revenue and pay for everyone involved, from superstar players down to those who live paycheck to paycheck. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James recently made an interesting suggestion on his "Mind the Game" podcast. He said that perhaps the NBA should give its players several weeks off between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs. "If they're going to allow it to be as physical as it is, you've got to give us a little time to prepare for it," James said. "Maybe 12 to 15 games left in the regular season. Like a month. Give us a month to prepare for it. Because it goes from zero to 100." Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, a friend and rival of his, pushed back on that suggestion. Green feels such a break would do more harm than good. 'I know Bron talked about there being a month off before the playoffs; I don't know that that's possible,' Green said. 'A, guys will get a bit out of shape and can have an adverse effect, guys getting back in, and all of a sudden, you pull something because it's been a month." The NBA has already made some adjustments in recent years in order to make its schedule a little easier. It has cut down on the number of back-to-back games, and it has given teams several days off surrounding the All-Star game in order to make it, in effect, a mini-vacation, especially for those who don't participate in it. But what James suggested is extremely unlikely to ever take place. The league would either need to compress its regular season schedule, shorten the offseason or reduce the number of regular-season games, and the downsides would probably greatly outweigh the benefits.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Michael Beasley posts raunchy message after epic $100K one-on-one win over Lance Stephenson
Michael Beasley didn't wait long to bust out some outlandish talk after defeating Lance Stephenson in their hyped one-on-one matchup for $100,000. The former Lakers teammates were the main event of the TNC 02 pay-per-view basketball event in Miami on Friday night and delivered what they considered one of the top one-on-one games ever. 5 Michael Beasley celebrates beating Lance Stephenson in a one-on-one game for $100K on Friday night. Overtime/IG Advertisement Beasley bested Stephenson, 31-21, to cash the big check with injured Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving in attendance. Stephenson, 34, cordially tagged the 36-year-old Beasley in an Instagram story after the heated matchup and wrote: 'Great game bro.' That's when things got weird. Advertisement Beasley, who played 74 games for the Knicks in 2017-18, responded to the message with one of his own and somehow dragged the Kardashian into the fray. 'I love you to the moon and back… Now grab a cigarette and a towel… We made a sex tape Kim K would envy,' Beasley wrote back with three crying laughing emojis. 5 Michael Beasley posts raunchy message after $100K win over Lance Stephenson in epic one-on-one battle Michael Beasley/Instagram Advertisement The game itself had a little bit of everything, even if Beasley never trailed after a fast 4-0 start that had Irving on commentary saying he 'would never' want to play Beasley one-on-one Stephenson even got feisty with the ref and fans at points, but it wasn't enough to beat Beasley. Beasley, who played 11 seasons in the NBA, never quite reached the lofty expectations of being the No. 2 pick overall by the Heat in 2008. 5 Michael Beasley (r.) and Lance Stephenson battle in a one-on-one game for $100K on Friday night. Overtime/Instagram Advertisement He was the better scorer between him and Stephenson, averaging 12.4 points per game for his career. Stephenson, the Coney Island product, played 10 seasons in the NBA, including seven with the Pacers. 5 Lance Stephenson #6 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates during the 108-90 win over the Toronto Raptors at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 4, 2017. Getty Images 5 Knicks forward Michael Beasley (8) drives as he is defended by Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the second quarter in 2017. Bill Kostroun/New York Post He was one of the best defenders of his era after being drafted 40th overall in 2010 — as he and LeBron James had some epic playoff battles. Stephenson averaged 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for his career.
USA Today
9 hours ago
- USA Today
Shaq suggests Giannis Antetokounmpo should avoid teams such as Lakers
Shaq suggests Giannis Antetokounmpo should avoid teams such as Lakers It is widely believed that Giannis Antetokounmpo will ask the Milwaukee Bucks to trade him at some point this summer. If he does indeed ask out, there is always the chance that he requests to be sent to a marquee team in a marquee market. Some Los Angeles Lakers fans are hoping their favorite team ends up landing Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA regular-season MVP who led the Bucks to the world championship in 2021. But Lakers great Shaquille O'Neal feels the "Greek Freak" should steer clear of teams that are based in big markets such as Los Angeles for a few reasons. 'I would tell him that, probably, a bigger market doesn't matter' O'Neal said. 'Social media is the market now. Giannis has made a name for himself on social media. If you go to L.A., 50% of your contract goes to taxes, more pressure and more stress. Being that he's in control of that ship, he should go upstairs and be like 'I want to see all the free agents, I want phone numbers and I want to talk to them.' He should bring people to him. When I was coming up, it was small market was too small, probably need to go to a big market. But now, every market is the same. Nobody cares what city you're in, this ain't the '90s.' O'Neal, of course, left a small-market team in the Orlando Magic, even though it had plenty of potential moving forward, to join the Lakers in 1996 as a free agent. While coming to the Lakers would allow him to eventually win three straight NBA titles, it also gave him the opportunity to market himself off the court and appear in movies and television shows while continuing to pursue his budding hip-hop career. Of course, that was a much different time, long before the start of social media and back when access to the internet was just starting to proliferate across the land. While the Bucks seemed to still be contenders after winning it all in 2021, it is now clear that they have exhausted their potential. Their supporting cast is aging and thinning, and Antetokounmpo's co-star, Damian Lillard, who was acquired prior to last season in a stunning trade, recently tore his Achilles. It appears that a trade would be best for both parties at this point, especially now that Antetokounmpo is 30 years of age.
