The new-look Los Angeles Lakers will take on the Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center on Saturday.
There’s plenty to be excited about the Lakers, although they are still far away from securing a playoff berth. Their deadline may not have seen them pull off blockbuster moves, but they did do enough to address their immediate concern — shooting.
The Lakers managed to reacquire point guard D’Angelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a massive three-team, eight-player trade that also saw Russell Westbrook finally be moved to the Utah Jazz.
Other precision moves involved swapping out Patrick Beverley, Thomas Bryant, Damian Jones, and Juan Toscano-Anderson, and draft picks for Jared Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Davon Reed, and Mo Bamba. Quite simply, the Lakers have the reinforcement they were in dire need of.
Meanwhile, the Warriors have problems of their own. For starters, they will be without Curry for the foreseeable future and their trade move that saw them ship James Wiseman and bring back Gary Payton II is in limbo after the latter failed to pass the physical.
That said, the Warriors are still better placed than the Lakers at this point. They’re 28-27 at the time of writing and are placed ninth in a stacked Western Conference. The marquee clash will pit LA against familiar faces and on that note, here’s a look at the projected starters, the injury report, and the predictions.
Golden State Warriors Expected Lineups And Injuries Updates
The Warriors, as aforementioned will be without the services of Stephen Curry (leg). Also on the injury list are Andre Iguodala (hip) and Gary Payton II (core).
With this, the Warriors might field the same five as they did against the Portland Trail Blazers in their last game. Jordan Poole (G), Klay Thompson (G), Andrew Wiggins (F), Draymond Green (F), and Kevon Looney (C) will most likely be the starting unit.
Los Angeles Lakers Expected Lineups And Injuries Updates
The Los Angeles Lakers have two familiar names in their injury report. Per ESPN’s updated injury report, Anthony Davis (foot) and LeBron James (ankle) have been listed as probable and questionable respectively, but chances are that both the stars will take the floor to see how they mesh with the new recruits.
D’Angelo Russell (G), Malik Beasley (G), Rui Hachimura (F), LeBron James (F), and Anthony Davis (C) might be the starting five for LA.
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers Predictions
The Lakers are on a three-game losing streak following their latest loss to the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this week, and they have a limited window if they intend to make the play-in. While they do have the necessary artillery to make the push, they have less time to mesh and see the damage they can create on the floor.
While Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson have been shouldering the scoring load for the Warriors, the team does struggle in Curry’s absence. They have had a wobbly run so far this season and a couple of losses from here will put jeopardize their chances of staying in the top 8 seeds.
For now, the reborn Lakers come off as favorites, while the Warriors will look to gain some momentum without their sharpshooter in the mix. Expect the Lakers to win this contest.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
