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The Los Angeles Lakers travel to the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Warriors tomorrow evening on ABC at 8:30 PM ET. This is the second of four meetings between the two franchises this season.
Los Angeles took the first meeting this season, also at Golden State, on Christmas. LeBron James had 31 points and 10 assists and Austin Reaves posted a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 115-113 victory. Steph Curry posted a season-high 38 points in the loss for the Warriors. Andrew Wiggins had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Trayce Jackson-Davis added 11 points and nine rebounds.
Golden State took 3-of-4 in this matchup last season. Both teams are stuck in a series of middling performances right now. Golden State has lost 6-of-10 and is just 12-20 since starting the season 10-2. The Warriors are currently 11th in the Western Conference. The Lakers have won 4-of-5 and sit fifth in the West, but are just three games ahead of Golden State.
Let’s break down each team’s recent play while previewing this matchup and making a Lakers @ Warriors NBA pick.
James, the four-time league MVP, was just named an All-Star for the 21st time and continues to lead the Lakers. He had 20 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists in a surprisingly easy 117-96 victory over the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics at home last night. He also posted his ninth triple-double of the season in a 111-88 victory over the lowly Washington Wizards on Tuesday. He had 21 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds while Anthony Davis had 29 points and 16 rebounds and Reaves contributed 16 points and 8 assists.
Davis had 24 points and 8 rebounds in the win over Boston, and Reaves added 23 points and 6 rebounds. As an example of the team’s continued uneven state – they are 4-4 in their last eight games – the Lakers lost to the Clippers on Sunday, 116-102. James had 25 points and 11 assists, Davis had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Reaves added 14 points.
Los Angeles’ longest win streak this season is six games. Its longest losing streak is three games. That’s just where they are right now. Although James gets most of the headlines, Davis is the one still pacing the Lakers in most categories. He is averaging 25.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.3 steals a game to lead Los Angeles. James is going for 23.6 points and a team-high 8.9 assists.
The Warriors pounded the Chicago Bulls last night at home, 131-106. Steph Curry led the team with 21 points and 7 assists, while Andrew Wiggins chipped in with 17 points and 7 rebounds. It was the kind of blowout that allowed five bench players to accumulate double figures in points.
Golden State had previously lost two straight, including its worst loss in 40 years at home, a 125-85 setback against the Celtics. In that contest, Steph Curry had a team-high 18 points. Curry also had 14 points and 12 assists in the team’s 123-117 loss at Sacramento Wednesday night. Wiggins led six Warriors in double figures with 25 points. Golden State blew an 18-point lead in that defeat.
Wiggins is second on the team with 17 points per game, just ahead of Jonathan Kuminga, who is third with 16.8 per. Curry still leads the team in scoring at 22.6 points and assists with 6.3 per game.
James and Curry have similarly picked up their games in recent weeks. James has gone for 29 or more three times in his last 10 contests, averaging 24.2 per game during that stretch. He’s also going for 8.8 assists and 7.5 rebounds during that time.
Curry has scored 30 or more points three times in his last 10 games, and he is right there with James, averaging 24 points per game during that stretch. These two legends love matching up against each other. They combined for 69 points in their latest Christmas classic, and there is no reason to think both won’t do the same tomorrow night.
Our pick here is for both James and Curry to tally more than 25 points in the contest.
Brian has been writing about sports professionally for 25 years, specializing in the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, men's college basketball and football, and soccer. He covered high school, collegiate and professional sports in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area for two decades. His written work has appeared in several print and online publications since 1999.