The playoff race in the Western Conference is a heated as ever and tonight we get a massive matchup at the bottom of the Play-In Picture. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers host Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors but LA comes into the night with two of their stars on the injury report.
Both LeBron and Anthony Davis are back on the injury report just days after James sat out last game against Minnesota and Davis went to the locker room after taking a shot to the face in the first quarter. The Lakers sat LeBron as he battled flu like symptoms in the second end of a back-to-back series.
Davis went to the locker room after taking a shot in the left eye from Kyle Anderson after attempting a tip slam on an offensive rebound. AD’s eye was already sore after getting poked in the eye against Golden State three weeks ago.
Both James and Davis were listed questionable for tonight’s massive game against the Warriors tonight, but Davis was ruled out about an hour before tip off. according to reports from NBA on TNT’s Chris Haynes. Just a few minutes later the Lakers breathed a sigh of relief when LeBron was listed as available for tonight. The Warriors are coming into the with a full arsenal of their top stars as Andrew Wiggins is the only notable name on the list, questionable with a left ankle sprain.
Both teams come in playing some great basketball at the right time. Golden State has won 7 of their last 10 while the Lakers have won 8 of their last 10. Despite their recent runs of good form, they can’t seem to jump up the standings as the rest of the pack keep their distance.
There are just six days left before the end of the regular season, and it’s an understatement to say this is a a pivotal game in the race for the Play-In race. Both teams to fight to get out of the bottom spots in the Western Conference postseason picture. The Lakers are in 9th with a record of 45-34 while the Golden State Warriors have played one less game and have a record of 43-35.
The Lakers could still have an outside shot at the six seed and an automatic playoff bid, but they would just about have to have everything fall in their favor. The Warriors are just looking to jump the Lakers and not have to win to road game to get through the Play-In and into the playoffs.
