NBA · Wed (3/22) @ 7:10pm ET
| DEN Nuggets | at | WAS Wizards |
| Capital One Arena, Washington, D.C. | ||
The Los Angeles Lakers (#7 seed) will be hosting the Golden State Warriors (#8 seed) on Wednesday, May 19th at 10:15 pm ET.
The odds opened with the Lakers a heavy favorite at -7 but was pushed down to -5 and has recently settled at -5.5.
The winner of the game will play the Phoenix Suns in the first round while the loser will play the winner of the Grizzlies vs Spurs to decide who will play the Utah Jazz in the first round.
Warriors Vs Lakers Game Preview
Among the Play-In tournament fixtures on Wednesday will be an incredibly hyped game – a tantalizing fixture featuring two of basketball’s undisputable greats: Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors facing off against LeBron James and the LA Lakers for the seventh seed in the West playoffs.
With both teams coming into the game in good form, all eyes are on the two talismanic leaders who could single-handedly change the course of the game. Steph Curry has had an incredible season, averaging a mind-boggling 32 points a game while being hailed by none other than LeBron as the MVP for the season (“I mean, just look at what he’s done this year”). LeBron hasn’t disappointed either, though injury problems have marred the past few weeks for last season’s Finals MVP.
All eyes are now on the fascinating tactical encounter this Wednesday. The “controlled chaos” playstyle of the Warriors has proven remarkably resilient in supporting Curry and blitzing perfectly competent teams, but the Lakers have both the psychological edge – with a 2-1 record over the Warriors this season – as well as the pocket ace of one of the greatest players in NBA history to call on.
The Lakers will rightly be considered favorites for the game, and for the Championship as a whole, and the question is whether Curry and the supporting cast, can pull off a spectacular underdog upset against the now-fit and firing duo of LeBron and Anthony Davis.
The contest is set to be an experiment in attack vs defense, featuring the scoring title winner going up against possibly the stingiest defense in the league. The only guarantee is that this will be one for the ages – and with the loser of the Seven-Eight game guaranteed another chance to grab a seed for the playoffs, it might just end up being the preview of a title-decider.
Full Sportsbook Odds for Warriors Vs Lakers
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Top Tweets
Vogel on drawing the Warriors in the play-in game: “It’s going to be a big challenge, but one our guys are up to.”
LAL played very well against GSW this season, barring a 4th Q letdown in January. Beat them 117-91 in Feb. and 128-97 in March, both without AD.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) May 17, 2021
Warriors/Lakers will be fun but am I wrong in saying it doesn’t actually feel like a playoff game when neither team can be eliminated?
The 7/8 game is dumb. Keep it at 8/9 for the last spot in the playoffs
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) May 17, 2021
The Lakers close out the season with a five-game winning streak with Sunday’s 110-98 victory over NOP. L.A. will host Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday on ESPN. Winner earns the No. 7 seed and a first round matchup with Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 17, 2021
Warriors and Lakers on Wednesday night at 7pm at Staples Center for the right to play the Suns in a first round series. Loser faces the winner of Grizzlies/Spurs on Friday in an elimination game to face Jazz in series.
— John Dickinson (@JDJohnDickinson) May 17, 2021