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The reigning NBA champions, LA Lakers, will visit the Chase Center to face the Golden State Warriors tonight. Both teams are coming off victories in their most recent outings, and the LA Lakers are the only team in the Western Conference's top-7 that won its last game.
A matchup between LeBron James and Stephen Curry is always exciting, and this will be the final meeting of these two teams in the regular season. The previous two games were played at Staples Center. While the Golden State Warriors took a solid win on January 18th, the LA Lakers bounced back with a 117-91 blowout on February 28th.
The Anthony Davis-less LA Lakers have lost six of their last 10 games, but remain in third spot in the Western Conference with a 25-13 record. The Golden State Warriors, meanwhile, are 20-19 and are in ninth spot in the West. Steve Kerr's team is coming off a solid home win over the Utah Jazz that snapped their four-game losing streak.
LA Lakers vs Golden State Warriors prediction - March 15th, 2021
The Golden State Warriors have not been consistent in the 2020-21 season, but continue to be a difficult matchup for their opponents on most nights. The LA Lakers were on a rough patch due to Anthony Davis' absence, but they won their last game against the Indiana Pacers and will look to stay close to the top of the West.
Even though the LA Lakers' Offensive Rating is in the middle of the pack at the moment (18th in the NBA), Frank Vogel's team remains the top defensive performer with a 106 Defensive Rating. The Golden State Warriors have a similar situation, as their offense is 21st in the NBA, but they rank seventh in Defensive Rating.
The upcoming game should be interesting. The matchup could be favorable for the LA Lakers, but the Golden State Warriors are coming off a win over the league's best team and should carry that momentum into this game. In their previous meeting, the Warriors shot 23% from the three-point line and Draymond Green played just 12 minutes before leaving the match with an ankle issue.
This time around, the matchup should be highly competitive.
LA Lakers vs Golden State Warriors combined starting 5 - March 15th, 2021
PG Stephen Curry, SG Dennis Schroder, SF LeBron James, PF Draymond Green, C Montrezl Harrel
Even though superstars Klay Thompson and Anthony Davis are missing from this game, the matchup is still filled with big names, starting with LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Curry is performing at an extraordinary level in the 2020-21 NBA season for the Golden State Warriors. Some might say that he's been as good as he was in the 2015-16 campaign, when he won his second NBA MVP. Curry is averaging 29 points, five rebounds and six assists per game with 48/41/93 shooting splits so far.
Dennis Schroder, meanwhile, has been an important asset for the Lakers and LeBron James. The German guard can generate plays for his teammates and help James stay off the ball more often. Schroder is putting up 15 points, four rebounds and four assists per game with the LA Lakers in the 2020-21 NBA campaign.
King James is performing at a unique level in his 18th NBA season and has been tipped by many to win the 2020-21 NBA MVP. James is averaging 25.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game so far with 51/36/69 shooting splits, and has played 37 of the LA Lakers' 38 games this season.
For the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green has been creating plays on the offense and has been their most versatile defender. Green is not putting up flashy numbers in terms of scoring (6.1 PPG), but he is coming off a solid triple-double against the Utah Jazz with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Green is leading the team in passing, with a career-high 8.5 assists per game. He is also the Golden State Warriors' main rebounder with 6.2 per match.
The LA Lakers' paint has been a major talking point in the 2020-21 NBA season, as Marc Gasol has received lots of criticism for his play at Los Angeles so far. However, Montrezl Harrell has been a solid performer among the LA Lakers' big.
The reigning Sixth Man of the Year is having a big season off the bench again. Harrell is averaging 14 points and six rebounds per game in the 2020-21 campaign with a 63% field-goal percentage.
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