3 reasons why Golden State Warriors will struggle to defeat LA Lakers in Game 1 of the play-in tournament

The LA Lakers will be taking on the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament, a matchup that was confirmed once the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets.

The clash will see another chapter in the LeBron James-Stephen Curry rivalry, both of whom will be looking to win a championship this season.

Outlining three reasons why the Golden State Warriors have an uphill task against the LA Lakers

The LA Lakers finished the regular season in seventh spot, with mid-season injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis dragging them down the table.

They will now be taking on the Golden State Warriors, who managed to be a part of the play-in tournament majorly because of Stephen Curry's superhuman effort.

The Golden State Warriors' starting lineup pales in comparison to the LA Lakers, and here are three reasons why it will be difficult for them to overcome the reigning champions:

#3- The Golden State Warriors will be facing an LA Lakers team with a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis

Los Angeles Lakers v Indiana Pacers

Known to have an 'Ironman' kind of durability, the Lakers were given a huge setback when LeBron James was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain, keeping him out of NBA action for over a month.

This compounded the LA Lakers' problems, who were already dealing with Anthony Davis being out with an Achilles issue.

Wednesday night: Lakers vs. Warriors -- LeBron James and Anthony Davis vs. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green -- in the Western Conference play-in round.

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 17, 2021

However, the 17-time NBA champions recently got LeBron James back, re-uniting the star duo again. The LA Lakers' joy comes at the expense of the Golden State Warriors, who will have to face a full strength side.

With Davis and James, the Lakers have arguably a top-three starting five in the league, and it will certainly take some effort on the Warriors' part to beat them.

#2- The LA Lakers' already stellar defense is likely to improve further in the playoffs

Los Angeles Lakers v Indiana Pacers

Despite missing Davis and LeBron for a chunk of the season, the Lakers managed to pull off the enviable task of ending the regular season with the best defensive rating in the league.

The scarier fact is that the LA Lakers defense is not only welcoming one of the best defensive players in the league, but will also tighten the screws even further come playoff time.

The Lakers last 5 opponents: Knicks, Suns, Blazers, Clippers, Nuggets.They went 3-2 in those games despite missing LeBron and Schroder.Defense wins games. pic.twitter.com/HJJeDc77Zb

— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 12, 2021

Head coach Frank Vogel prides himself on being 'defensive-minded', reiterating the importance of being the best defense in the postseason.

One of the biggest reasons why the Lakers took the Larry O'Brien trophy home in the 2019/20 season was because of their unbelievable effort on the defensive side of the ball.

The Golden State Warriors will have to be prepared to negotiate against some suffocating defense in the first round of the Play-In tournament.

#3- The Golden State Warriors lack scoring options outside of Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins

Golden State Warriors v New Orleans Pelicans

Stephen Curry's 41-point performance against the Memphis Grizzlies ensured the ace three-point shooter won the scoring title for the second time in his career.

But apart from Curry, who has had an MVP-like season, no other player has been a reliable scoring option for Steve Kerr's side, with only Andrew Wiggins coming close with 18 points per game.

Kelly Oubre, who is third in the pecking order, is set to be sidelined for the game. Curry will be swarmed by LA Lakers defenders throughout the game, which might spell doom for the Warriors, who don't have other dependable scorers on their roster.

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