The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors meet in the postseason for the first time since 1991 when they begin a second-round playoff series in San Francisco on Tuesday night.
Injury Update Los Angeles Lakers – Golden State Warriors
The Lakers and Warriors are two tremendously successful organizations that have won seven of the last eight Western Conference crowns and five of the last eight NBA championships.
In the best-of-seven series, the sixth-seeded Warriors have home-court advantage. The Lakers, on the other hand, will be better rested when the heavyweights compete for a chance to face either the top-seeded Denver Nuggets or the fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals.
Despite struggling for much of the regular season, the Lakers defeated the Warriors 3-1 in the season series. One of the victories occurred on Feb. 23 at San Francisco, when Golden State star Stephen Curry was out with a leg injury.
The Lakers advanced to the second round after defeating the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies in six games. The Lakers won the series 125-85 on Friday, with D’Angelo Russell scoring 31 points and LeBron James and Anthony Davis combining for 38 points and 19 rebounds.
According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, LeBron James is categorized as probable for Tuesday’s Game 1 against the Warriors due to right foot pain.
Unsurprisingly, James has been added to his team’s injury report, and all signs lead to him participating in the first game of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Los Angeles has had three days off since its clinching victory, whereas the Warriors have been rushed back into action after claiming their berth with a 120-100 road win over the third-seeded Sacramento Kings on Sunday afternoon. Curry scored 50 points in that game, an NBA record for a Game 7 at the time.
Curry not only set a playoff career high in scoring, but he also had the highest Game 7 scoring total in NBA history.
The Kings fought valiantly, but Curry countered with momentum-killing shots throughout the game, hitting a series-high seven three-pointers.
Curry and the Warriors will now open the semifinals against the Lakers at home on Tuesday evening, and Curry is said to be pumped for this epic battle.
The Lakers and Warriors may be strangers in the postseason, but James and Curry are not. They’ve met 22 times in the playoffs, including four straight meetings in the NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers from 2015 to 2018.
Curry won championship rings on three of four occasions, all while losing the personal scoring contest to James, who averaged 33 points per game in those games while Curry averaged 25.4.
The Warriors have also had success in the postseason versus Davis, who led the New Orleans Pelicans against the Warriors in the 2015 and 2018 playoffs.
Golden State won eight of those nine games, with Davis and opponent Draymond Green each averaging a double-double.
Davis is listed as likely for Tuesday’s game, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
Over six games in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, he averaged 20.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 4.3 blocks.
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Injury Report Lakers
| PLAYER | INJURY | STATUS |
| LeBron James | Foot | Game Time Decision |
| Anthony Davis | Foot | Game Time Decision |
| Mo Bamba | Ankle | Game Time Decision |
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Injury Report Warriors
| PLAYER | INJURY | STATUS |
| Patrick Baldwin Jr. | Toe | Game Time Decision |
| Andre Iguodala | Wrist | Expected to be out until at least May 6 |
| Ryan Rollins | Foot | Out for the season |
