The NBA and its fans probably didn't expect this when the league decided to expand its Play-In Tournament, but a Lakers-Warriors matchup featuring some of basketball's biggest stars is on tap for Wednesday night in Los Angeles. The winner of the game will be the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and face Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs beginning Sunday.
Summary
The NBA and its fans probably didn't expect this when the league decided to expand its Play-In Tournament, but a Lakers-Warriors matchup featuring some of basketball's biggest stars is on tap for Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
The winner of the game will be the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and face Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs beginning Sunday. The loser will face the winner of Wednesday's Grizzlies-Spurs matchup for the right to take on top-seeded Utah in Round 1.
Follow along with The Athletic's Bay Area and Los Angeles crews (Anthony Slater, Ethan Strauss, Marcus Thompson II, Bill Oram and Jovan Buha) as they break down the action at Staples Center.
(Photo: Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Athletic NBA Staff
Lakers advance to the playoffs
The inbound pass to Steph Curry could not be completed and the ball bounced away along with the Warriors' chances to win the game. The Lakers will play the Suns in the first round. The Warriors will play the Grizzlies on Friday night with a playoff spot on the line.
Final score: Lakers 103 - Warriors 100
Advertisem*nt
The Athletic NBA Staff
2.1 seconds left, Lakers up by 3, Warriors with the ball...
Are you not entertained?!?
The Athletic NBA Staff
Warriors 98-Lakers 95 - 2:30 left in fourth quarter
Slater: Jordan Poole, not afraid of the moment.
Strauss: This is already the best play-in game of all time. Slightly ahead of Hornets-Pacers.
It turns out LeBron really matters
A trend that has now continued into the Lakers' most important game of the season:
LeBron on the floor: +10
LeBron off the floor: -10
Score is tied at 93-93 with just under five minutes left as LeBron checks back into the game.
The tide has turned
The Lakers (31-for-72, 42.3 percent) are now shooting better from the field than the Warriors (29-for-69, 42 percent).
A Curry 3-pointer check
Curry is 5-for-8 from 3 through three quarters. The last time Curry made 5 threes in Staples Center against the Lakers was April 12, 2017. But he was 5-for-14 that game. The last time he made more than half his threes against the Lakers in Staples was Nov. 23, 2016 (7-for-12).
Advertisem*nt
Lakers take their first lead of the game
The Lakers are finally playing like the bigger, more physical team. Kyle Kuzma's floater and LeBron James' bulldozing lay-up have given the Lakers their first lead of the night, 83-79, with 10:23 left in the fourth.
The Athletic NBA Staff
End of Third Quarter: Warriors 79-77
Thompson: As always with the Warriors, the game boils down to the non-Curry minutes to start the fourth.
Slater: Percentage chance that Frank Vogel is closing with anyone other than Anthony Davis at center tonight? Zero? It should be.
Buha: The Lakers forced eight Warriors turnovers and outscored them 7-0 in fastbreak points in the third quarter.
Slater: Assume that Steve Kerr is going to try to squeeze at least four minutes for Steph Curry on the bench here. Big fort-holding moment for Poole/Wiggins. They need to find a few buckets.
Vogel changes up big strategy
Frank Vogel seems to have learned from the first half, sh*ting to an Anthony Davis-at-center lineup instead of bringing Montrezl Harrell in and staying with two bigs.
Wesley Matthews the X-factor
Wesley Matthews was my X-factor pick on this week’s episode of… The Forum Club! He checks in for the first time in the third quarter and immediately buries a 3.
Listen to this week's Forum Club podcast here.
A big moment in the third quarter?
How big will that AD reach-in foul on Curry loom? Not only did it give Davis his third foul, but it robbed the Lakers of a fastbreak opportunity trailing by one. Instead, Steph Curry ends up with three free throws and the Warriors end up pushing the lead back up to seven on Bazemore’s third 3 a few possessions later.
Advertisem*nt
Lakers with a chance to close the gap at the line
Strauss: I believe that's four Warriors fouls in about a minute thirty. Great Laker opportunity in this quarter to soak up points at the line.
Slater: Kent Bazemore fastbreaks have not been friendly to the Warriors.
Score: Warriors now lead 55-48 with 10:32 left in the third quarter.
Wiggins making a difference for Warriors
Wiggins had 9 first half points. But in reality it was like 20. They were early, while the Lakers were focused on Curry. They loosened up the defense and made the Lakers insecure about some matchups. It fed the others, who also had to make big shots. And all of that is part of the Steve Kerr’s long game to free Curry. Wiggins misses those early shots, no telling how much pressure the Warriors supporting cast feels. Curry didn’t have to force it and press. They could lock in on defense because they had a lead. Those were big we-will-be-alright buckets by Wiggins.
The Athletic NBA Staff
Recommended halftime reading - Staff picks
Buha: Lakers-Warriors play-in preview: X-factor, key matchup, prediction and more
Thompson: Kawakami: Andrew Wiggins’ NBA revival, exactly when the Warriors need him most
Thompson: The making of the Warriors’ Juan Toscano-Anderson
Strauss: LeBron James’ looming ankle: Sports injury expert Dr. Brian Sutterer on Lakers star’s health
Oram: Lakers’ title hopes rest on LeBron James recapturing early-season MVP form
A reminder why this game is so important
If you’re just joining us, here’s why this game means so much for the Lakers: A win puts them in the 7-seed with a reasonably clear path to the Western Conference Finals. They would face a Phoenix team that doesn’t match up well with them, then the winner of Portland and Denver, while the Clippers and Jazz duke it out on the opposite side of the bracket for the other spot in the WCF. Going in as the 8-seed (assuming a win Friday over Memphis, which right now… yeesh) is far tougher. The likely path would be Utah, Clippers and then Phoenix. That’s an absolute gauntlet.
The Athletic NBA Staff
End of Second Quarter: Warriors 55 - Lakers 42
Buha: Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, sitting courtside, just emphatically high-fived after that Steph Curry 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the second quarter. That's all you need to know about the first half.
Oram: Oh my god. I know you Warriors guys are used to it by now, but my brain is not conditioned to shots like that dropping. Steph was flippin’ triple-teamed on that 3 at the buzzer and still put it through. Just ridiculous. Lakers certainly have the firepower to come back from 13 down at half, but we haven’t seen it tonight. LeBron, AD and Dennis Schroder are a combined 4-for-28 from the field. Alex Caruso is somehow the Lakers leading scorer with 12 points after making all five of his shots, including two 3s. Listen, I love what Alex Caruso brings to the table as much as anyone, but if he’s your leading scorer, then things have dramatically deviated from the plan.
Strauss: Going in, the Warriors have done especially well when Curry and Poole play together. The combo was a +8 in that half, but as much as I'd like to ascribe that to Poole's added spacing/playmaking, a lot of that boost came from insane Steph Curry shots
Advertisem*nt
Curry driving the pace
Can't underestimate the impact of Curry attacking when he came back in. It picks up the pace. It scrambles the defense. And the Warriors can't be content with a defensive slugfest. They need pace. They need chaos. They need the pressure on Lakers' shooters to increase.
Lakers' best lineup on the floor
The Lakers have turned to their best lineup: Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso and Dennis Schröder.
The Drummond Dilemma...
Frank Vogel seems committed to Andre Drummond, but fortunately for Drummond doubters, Andre seems equally committed to bad fouls. He just picked up his third on his second possession back in the game. Andre keeps looking over at the bench like he’s expecting a sub, but Frank’s keeping him in there.
Load more updates
