Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors jockeying for position in crowded NBA Western Conference
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LeBron James (right) of the Los Angeles Lakers catching a pass over the Phoenix Suns' Jamaree Bouyea during the second half of the Lakers' 113-110 NBA road loss on Feb 26.
PHOTO: AFP
SAN FRANCISCO – Californian counterparts jockeying for play-off spots in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Western Conference meet on Feb 28 (March 1 morning, Singapore time) in San Francisco when the Golden State Warriors host the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers are aiming to snap a three-game losing skid, which has put them in a precarious position in the West’s post-season picture. After Feb 26’s 113-110 loss at the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles sit in sixth place, just a game ahead of the Suns for the final guaranteed play-off berth.
“Our losses are louder than other teams’ because we’re the Lakers,” Los Angeles coach J.J. Redick said. “But we’ve been great, for the most part, in the clutch all year.”
The Lakers are part of a five-team bottleneck in the conference, with just three wins separating the third-placed Houston Rockets from the seventh-placed Suns.
Golden State loom in eighth, three wins behind Los Angeles and Phoenix. The Warriors are 2-2 since returning from the All-Star break with wildly divergent results.
They overcame the Denver Nuggets 128-117 but followed with a 113-109 loss to a New Orleans Pelicans team languishing near the West’s cellar. Golden State rebounded on Feb 25 with a 133-112 rout of the Memphis Grizzlies as all nine Warriors players who featured scored at least nine points.
The Warriors head into the clash with the Lakers amid a bevy of injuries. They lost Jimmy Butler for the season to a torn anterior cruciate ligament, while two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Stephen Curry remains sidelined due to a knee injury.
The Lakers, in contrast, are playing with their most complete roster of the season. LeBron James is averaging 21.5 points, 7.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, appearing in all but four games since missing the first month of the regular season.
Austin Reaves, averaging a career-best 24.6 points per game, returned from a month-long absence before the All-Star break. The two join Luka Doncic, an MVP candidate posting 32.7 points, 8.6 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr paid tribute to James before the big game.
“He sort of took the mantle from Kobe (Bryant) and Michael Jordan. That guy who is just head and shoulders above everybody athletically, but he’s taken it to a new level with the versatility,” he said.
Meanwhile in NBA action on Feb 27, Jalen Duren scored 33 points as the hosts Detroit Pistons, who are leading the Eastern Conference, rallied from a nine-point deficit late in regulation to win 122-119 in overtime against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
West leaders and reigning champions the Oklahoma City Thunder also needed an extra period before defeating the Nuggets 127-121 at home, thanks to 36 points from star man Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. REUTERS
