The Los Angeles Lakers will begin their final stretch of the 2018-19 NBA season with four consecutive games at Staples Center, which starts against the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors have taken a slight control over the West’s No. 1 seed, up 1.5 games on the Denver Nuggets. A win against the Lakers would put them further in the driver’s seat.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are currently tied for the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference as well as the pick No. 10 in the 2019 NBA Draft with the Minnesota Timberwolves. With a Lakers roster made up almost entirely of G League players at this point in the season, securing that No. 10 pick may not be so difficult.
LeBron James, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart have all been shut down for the season. For this game, Kyle Kuzma and Tyson Chandler are currently listed as questionable.
The Lakers went 1-1 on their final road trip of the season, and head coach Luke Walton commended the team for fighting the whole way through, despite not having a playoff berth to play for.
The G League players, consisting of Alex Caruso, Moe Wagner, Jemerrio Jones, and Johnathan Williams, will all likely see some time in this game and have been extremely consistent in terms of their energy level.
With the Warriors still having the No. 1 seed to fight for, it’s likely they won’t be showing any mercy in this matchup. Shaun Livingston and Andrew Bogut are the only players that will be sitting this game out.
With just four games left, the rest of this season is hardly about wins or losses. It’s just about staying competitive against a very difficult four-game schedule. After this game, they’ll see the Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, and Portland Trail Blazers — all playoff teams.
Los Angeles Lakers (35-43) vs. Golden State Warriors (53-24)
7:30 P.M. PT, Apr. 4, 2019
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
TV: TNT
Radio: 710 AM (ESPN), 1330 KWKW (Spanish)
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Lance Stephenson
PF: Moritz Wagner
C: JaVale McGee
Key Reserves: Alex Caruso, Reggie Bullock, Mike Muscala, Johnathan Williams
Projected Warriors Starting Lineup:
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Draymond Green
C: DeMarcus Cousins
Key Reserves: Andre Igoudala, Alfonzo Mckinnie, Jordan Bell, Kevon Looney, Quinn Cook, Jonas Jerebko