For the final time in the regular season, the ninth-seed Los Angeles Lakers face the tenth-ranked Golden State Warriors with both teams seeking home-court advantage heading to the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Golden State is coming off a 118-110 win over the Utah Jazz and officially clinched a top 10 seed in the West with the Houston Rockets’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Warriors have CLINCHED a spot in the postseason! pic.twitter.com/e94TFNSgwP
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) April 7, 2024
Klay Thompson scored 25 of his game-high 32 points in the first half as the Warriors won seven of their last eight games.
The Lakers, on the other hand, look to rebound from a deflating 131-127 loss over the top-seed Minnesota Timberwolves in their last outing.
James (flu-like symptoms) did not play in that game, with All-Star teammate Anthony Davis exiting early due to an aggravated eye injury. Both superstars are listed questionable for tomorrow’s showdown with Golden State.
What happened to 2020 AD? Injuries zapped all his athleticism 😔pic.twitter.com/pmCLK62ZU9
— cam🅿? (@1cameronj) April 8, 2024
Lakers’ injury report for tomorrow vs. Golden State:
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 8, 2024
— AD is questionable with left eye soreness.
— LeBron is questionable with his flu-like symptoms.
— Gabe Vincent is available. pic.twitter.com/t4qA0Ma6TK
The Warriors hold a 2-1 season series lead and tomorrow’s outcome would play a crucial factor in playoff positioning and home-court advantage in the Play-In games.
A Warriors’ (43-35) win would tie them with the Lakers (45-34) in the loss column and if both teams win their remaining games and finish with identical records, Golden State will leapfrog Los Angeles behind owning their season series.
Just three years ago, both Steph and LeBron faced each other in the same stage, with the then seventh-ranked Lakers edging the eighth-seed Lakers to clinch a playoff spot in the 2021 postseason.
The game will air on April 10, 10 a.m. on NBA TV Philippines.
James nailed the go-ahead triple to rally his squad to a 103-100 win. LA, however, got booted out in the opening round after falling to the then second-ranked Phoenix Suns.
Golden State then lost against the Grizzlies in the battle for the last playoff spot and got eliminated.
Heat, Hawks collide in Atlanta
In other key matchups, Miami (43-35) hopes to avoid the East Play-In as the Heat visits the 10th-ranked Hawks (36-42) in Atlanta.
Coming off a 117–115 loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Heat aims to get a better postseason position with four games left in their schedule.
Hawks superstar Trae Young could play tomorrow after the squad cleared the former All-Star for contact and team practice.
Young, who underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left finger, has been sidelined since Feb. 25.
The Hawks-Heat showdown is live on NBA TV Philippines at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow Philippine time.
