The Los Angles Lakers will begin their final stretch of games for the 2022-23 season with a Thursday matchup against the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
While that would typically be a pretty tough game directly following the All-Star break, it looks like the Warriors are going to be massively undermanned in the game.
According to the team’s injury report, five Golden State players will be unable to suit up for the Warriors-Lakers matchup. The list includes Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II and Ryan Rollins.
As for the Lakers, LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both listed on the injury report, but they’re probable for Thursday’s game.
With all this knowledge, the Lakers should be the better team in the game. That’s great news for a squad that still has high hopes for the season despite currently sitting at the No. 13 seed in the Western Conference.
Because of those goals, James himself recently declared that L.A.’s final 23 regular season games of the 2022-23 campaign are some of the “most important games of my career for a regular season.”
There’s no question that the Lakers have disappointed so far this season, but their additions prior to the trade deadline have inspired new hope and confidence in Los Angeles.
Key additions to the roster include D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and Mo Bamba.
The hope is that the new supporting cast will give James and Davis the kind of spacing and talent they need to play at their best.
If that dream comes true, there is no question that the Lakers can still be true contenders in the Western Conference.
Still, the team is going to have to earn that reputation. A lot of experts and fans have already written the Lakers off despite the roster changes.
A win on Thursday would set the Lakers up nicely for what is going to be a crucial stretch of games against Western Conference foes.
Following Thursday, the Lakers will face the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-game road trip.
They’ll then return to L.A. to host the Minnesota Timberwolves, Warriors and Grizzlies.
Without a doubt, this stretch is going to be crucial to the Lakers’ play-in tournament or playoff hopes.
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