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NBA Insiders
A prospective Western Conference play-in competition sneak peek unfolded Tuesday night as the Golden State Warriors took a trip to Crypto.com Arena to handle the Los Angeles Lakers in their last home video game of the season.
This was the 4th time these 2 groups have actually taken on this season, with the Warriors declaring the last regular-season match 134-120. The Warriors are now a half-game behind the Lakers with 3 video games left.
These 2 Western Conference opponents are no complete strangers to high-stakes video games, and with the routine season covering up Sunday and the play-in competition on the horizon, all eyes will be turned towards this impressive potential postseason fight.
From match X-factors to playoff ceilings, NBA experts Kevin Pelton, Ramona Shelburne and Bobby Marks respond to the most significant concerns off tonight's video game as Stephen Curry and LeBron James attempt to lead their groups to the 2023-24 NBA playoffs.
1. What's the most significant lesson to draw from Tuesday's video game?
Ramona Shelburne: The Lakers can't stop anybody without Anthony Davis in the middle of their defense. The Warriors set up 70 points in the very first half, 104 through 3 quarters and completed with 134, getting to the rim apparently at will without the hazard of Davis on the back line. The exact same thing occurred Sunday versus Minnesota when Davis went out with an eye injury. He's been extremely resilient this season, however it has actually harm the Lakers to not have him these past 2 video games as they battle to avoid of next week's 9/10 play-in video game.
Bobby Marks: No Davis and no possibility. As Ramona pointed out, the Lakers' defense was a revolving door without Davis on the court. After winning 8 of their 9 video games heading into Sunday, the Lakers have actually now dropped 2 in a row and any opportunities of leaving the play-in are slim. The other takeaway is not to discount rate Golden State in a playoff-type environment. The Warriors would still need to beat the Lakers and either the Suns or Kings if the season ended today simply to reach the preliminary. The Warriors played with a sense of seriousness, evidenced by their veterans (Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green) scoring a combined 82 points.
Kevin Pelton: Golden State is quite conscious prevent the 10th seed in the West play-in competition and requires to win 2 video games on the roadway simply to make the playoffs. Thanks to a 3-1 series win over the Lakers, the Warriors now hold the head-to-head tiebreaker and are even in the loss column, implying they'll likely end up ninth and host a rematch next week if both groups triumph– pending more complicated multiteam ties.
Both the Warriors and the Lakers have simply one video game staying versus a challenger with something to bet– the New Orleans Pelicans– who go to the Warriors on Friday before hosting the Lakers on Sunday.
