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18 hours ago
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The Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors' matchup on Thursday night has plenty on the line.
The Lakers are currently the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference while the Warriors are the No. 5 seed.
The Lakers and Denver Nuggets are both 17.5 wins behind the Thunder. The Warriors hold a half-game lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Both teams will look to separate themselves from their Western Conference foes, but this can only be done with a win.
Will LeBron James play?
It will be crucial for both sides to have all hands on deck for this one.
The Warriors were without Jonathan Kuminga last time out, but they handled themselves well in a 134-125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
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It helped that Stephen Curry made 12 3-pointers and scored 52 points.
Kuminga is listed as questionable with a right pelvic contusion. Gary Payton II is ruled out indefinitely with a torn ligament in his left thumb.
Kuminga's athleticism and defense will certainly be missed by Golden State if he can't suit up.
But will the Lakers be at full strength?
Maxi Kleber is out, but LeBron James is listed as probable despite a left groin strain.
In his last game against Golden State, James had quite a performance, scoring 42 points and securing 17 rebounds while dishing out eight assists.
While the Lakers will need that version of James, especially in the NBA Playoffs, The King might not deliver that type of performance tonight.
It's important to note that, in that performance against the Warriors, Luka Doncic had not yet made his Lakers debut.
The Lakers will take on a new-look Warriors team as well. The last time the two teams met, Golden State had not yet made the trade for Jimmy Butler and was without both Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins on the perimeter.
Without feeling the need to carry the load, especially if he's hampered by the groin injury, James could defer more to Doncic or Austin Reaves, especially if a physical battle with Butler isn't what he wants at this time.
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