Lakers vs. Warriors Preview and Game Thread: Battle for the ninth seed

The Lakers and Warriors could be in store for yet another postseason matchup with Tuesday’s battle serving as a final precursor.

The Lakers and the Golden State Warriors meet once again, but this time to finally determine who takes the ninth seed of the Western Conference. This will be the Lakers’ final regular season game at home and it’s one of — if not — the most important games of the season.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors

When: 7 p.m. PT, Apr 9.

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Watch: TNT, Spectrum Sportsnet

Ah, Lakers versus Warriors. LeBron James versus Stephen Curry. Anthony Davis versus Draymond Green. It just seems to never get old for the NBA.

After months of playing musical chairs and overtaking each other for the ninth seed, both teams will finally settle who gets to claim it on Tuesday. Yes, it’s for a play-in seed, but this is very much a high-stakes game.

Potential preview of the play-in tournament?

For the Lakers, winning Tuesday’s game means that their hopes of claiming the sixth, seventh or even eighth seed remain alive. Their superstars, specifically LeBron James and Anthony Davis, have said multiple times that they don’t really care about what seed they end up in but honestly? They should.

If L.A. can’t get the sixth seed, it should at least fight hard for the seventh or eighth seed to have two chances to win one play-in game. Losing Tuesday’s game to the Warriors not only gives them the tie-breaker advantage but also increases the Lakers’ chance to stay in the ninth or 10th seed of the play-in bracket.

As for the Warriors, who have won seven out of their last 10 games, losing Tuesday’s game keeps them at the 10th spot moving forward.

At this point, the Lakers and Warriors are probably sick of facing each other in high-stakes games, as they’ve been doing since the first play-in game. But that’s the consequence of being mediocre all season and having to cram their way to victory by the end of the year. For all we know, these two teams might just see each other again in the play-in tournament next week.

Matchup preview

The Warriors have bested the Lakers in two of their last three games as they’ve gotten the benefit of both James (who sat out in February against them to manage his left ankle) and Davis (who had to leave in the midst of their last meeting due to an eye injury) not playing in those games.

It would be a surprise if James and Davis — who are both listed as questionable on the injury report — will miss Tuesday’s game given how vital it is.

If both superstars play, the Lakers should do everything they can to maximize their height and physical advantage against the Dubs. The Warriors still don’t have an answer for AD, who should dominate the interior. It’ll also be important for the Lakers to knock down their threes in this one because that’s how the Warriors kept up and eventually won against them in their last meeting when they shot 41% from 3-point range.

Note that the Warriors have emerged as the best rebounding team in the league which is one of their strongest advantages against the Lakers. Even if Stephen Curry hasn’t played at an elite level for them as of late, they’ve finally solved the problem of producing points outside their superstar. The Warriors are currently eighth in the league in points per game (117.8) and have the 11th-best offense.

The Lakers’ offense — which has been superb since Rui Hachimura was slotted in the lineup — will be tested to keep up against the Warriors on Tuesday. This will be a fun matchup not just because of the high stakes involved but from a matchup standpoint as well. These two teams, who are constructed very differently, are capable of outplaying each other and now more than ever, they’re going to need their superstars to shine.

Hopefully it’s L.A.’s superstars that shine the brightest on their home floor as they look to conquer Golden State on Tuesday.

Notes and Updates:

• For the Lakers’ injury report, as stated above, Anthony Davis (left eye soreness) and LeBron James (flu-like symptoms) are listed as questionable.
• Meanwhile, Jalen Hood-Schifino (lumbar disc surgery), Jarred Vanderbilt (right midfoot sprain), and Christian Wood (left knee surgery) are out.
• As for the Warriors, everyone’s pretty much available except Dario Saric (right knee) injury. Andrew Wiggins (left ankle sprain) and Gary Payton II (left ankle impingment) are probable.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani