Saturday night’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors is a big one as it features the debuts of the new trade deadline acquisitions.
D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Davon Reed are all expected to play for the Lakers. The only new addition that won’t is Mo Bamba as he continues to serve his four-game suspension for his altercation with Austin Rivers.
Unfortunately, the Lakers won’t get a chance to see how all of their new pieces can gel with their current stars just yet as LeBron James has been ruled out with ankle soreness. This marks the second straight game that James has missed due to the issue, which has been giving him trouble all season although he has often managed to play through it.
While it is concerning that James is sitting out again when the 25-31 Lakers are fighting to get back in a postseason spot, the good news is that he got the foot looked at and it didn’t show anything other than general wear and tear. With only three games left until the All-Star break, it will be interesting to see if LeBron takes them all off in order to give his foot some more time to rest.
The Warriors are also without their best player in this one as Stephen Curry continues to deal with a lower leg injury. Unlike the Lakers who are a brand new roster though, the Warriors have some continuity in place.
Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole have both been playing at an extremely high level in recent weeks, helping make up for the absence of Curry. In Thompson’s last 12 games, he is averaging 23.9 points while shooting 45.1% from 3-point range. Poole is also been shooting it well, knocking down 42.3% of his triples in his last 15 games.
It will be up to Anthony Davis as well as the Lakers’ new additions to help pick up the slack to earn a much-needed win in this one. The Warriors are one of the teams ahead of L.A. in standings and the Lakers are running out of time to catch them and others, making Saturday night’s game that much more important.
Los Angeles Lakers (25-31) vs. Golden State Warriors (28-27)
5:30 p.m. PT, Feb. 11, 2023
Chase Center, San Francisco, California
TV: ABC
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Dennis Schroder
SG: D’Angelo Russell
SF: Troy Brown Jr.
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Malik Beasley, Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Lonnie Walker IV, Wenyen Gabriel
Projected Warriors Starting Lineup:
PG: Jordan Poole
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney
Key Reserves: Donte DiVincenzo, Jamychal Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Ty Jerome
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