THE Golden State Warriors and host Los Angeles Lakers will add a new chapter to their 72-year rivalry when they square off in an NBA play-in game Wednesday night (Thursday in Manila) at Staples Center.
The Warriors won a tie-breaker on the court Sunday (Monday in Manila) over the Memphis Grizzlies to place eighth in the Western Conference, while the Lakers lost a season-series tie-breaker to Portland to land seventh, creating the all-California pairing in the West’s first-ever 7-8 play-in matchup.
The winner will advance into the Western Conference playoffs main draw as the No. 7 seed and face the Phoenix Suns in the first round.
The loser also will have a chance to make the playoffs but would have to win at home on Friday (Saturday in Manila) against the winner of Wednesday’s (Thursday in Manila) 9-10 duel between the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs in order to move on and meet the top-seeded Utah Jazz.
The Lakers took two of three from the Warriors in the regular season, exacting two measures of big-time revenge after suffering a shocking 115-113 home loss in January in a game Los Angeles led rather comfortably most of the way.
The Lakers pounded their rival by 26 and 31 points in the next two meetings– one at home and the last one in San Francisco– leaving no doubt by bolting out to a cumulative 138-94 halftime advantage.
The Lakers shot a season-best 62.8 percent from the field and got a 22-point, 11-assist, 10-rebound triple-double from LeBron James in the most recent meeting on March 15 in San Francisco.
