One of the more memorable series’ from last year’s postseason was between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors with LeBron James and Stephen Curry squaring off once again.
The Lakers ultimately came out on top, beating the then defending champions in six games to move on the Western Conference Finals, where they would lose to the Denver Nuggets.
Given how the NBA made the schedule this season, it has taken a while for the first rematch between the two Pacific Division rivals, although that is finally taking place on Saturday evening at the Chase Center.
These two teams are in very different spots than they were last postseason as both have struggled for a majority of the 2023-24 season. The Lakers are tied for ninth in the Western Conference at 23-23 while the Warriors currently sit in 12th at 19-23. Golden State has played fewer games than most teams after recently having a couple postponed due to the death of assistant coach Dejan Milojević.
It has been similar issues plaguing these teams as the stars like James, Curry and Anthony Davis are all still playing at a high level while the other players have struggled to support them.
Both teams have also been bitten by the injury bug as the Lakers continue to be without Gabe Vincent and Cam Reddish while the Warriors are without Moses Moody, Chris Paul and Gary Payton II.
With all of that being said, Saturday night is shaping up to be an evenly matched game between two teams looking to build some momentum.
The Lakers have already started doing that, winning four of their last six games. Those all came at home, however, and now they head out on a season-long six-game road trip starting with the trip up north. L.A. has struggled on the road this season at just 6-15, so that will need to change if the team is going to get back into the postseason mix.
As always, slowing down Curry will be the biggest challenge for the Lakers. They no longer have Dennis Schroder on the team and Jarred Vanderbilt is not in the starting lineup, so guys like Austin Reaves and Taurean Prince are expected to be tasked with chasing the Warriors star around screens to begin the game.
While Curry is starting to slow down a little at age 35, he is still capable of getting hot on any given night to carry his team so not allowing that to happen should be priority No. 1 for L.A.
Los Angeles Lakers (23-23) vs. Golden State Warriors (19-23)
5:30 p.m. PT, Saturday, January 27, 2023
Chase Center, San Francisco, California
TV: ABC
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Taurean Prince
PF: LeBron James
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Christian Wood, Max Christie
Projected Warriors Starting Lineup:
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Andrew Wiggins
PF: Jonathan Kuminga
PF: Draymond Green
Key Reserves: Dario Saric, Kevon Looney, Brandin Podziemski, Corey Joseph
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