After clinching the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, the Golden State Warriors had to wait before finding out their opponent for the play-in tournament.
Golden State was slated to meet either the Portland Trail Blazers or the Los Angeles Lakers in a battle with the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference play-in. With the Trail Blazers holding a slight advantage, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum’s squad needed to win against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night to lock the No. 6 seed in the West.
If the Blazers lost, a Lakers win over the New Orleans Pelicans would move the defending champs into the No. 6 seed.
Lillard and McCollum combined for 48 points to register a victory over the Nuggets to clinch the No. 6 seed. With Portland’s win on Sunday, the Lakers and Warriors are now officially set to meet in a star-studded battle on Wednesday in the play-in tournament.
[mm-video type=video id=01f5ns1fjns0ygyx2at8 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5xtr64thj7fw2 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f5ns1fjns0ygyx2at8/01f5ns1fjns0ygyx2at8-447d9288db3519a706d50caee3cdc5b5.jpg]
The Lakers hold a 2-1 record over the Warriors in the 2020-21 campaign, including a pair of blowout victories. However, the Warriors are ending the season playing some of their best basketball with six consecutive wins.
While the Lakers have dealt with injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Steph Curry has pushed himself into the Most Valuable Player race with a furious run to cap off the season.
The newly crowned 2020-21 scoring champion has scored 30 or more points in 21 of his last 24 games, averaging 32 points per contest on 48.2% shooting from the field and 42.1% shooting from beyond the arc.
Wednesday’s contest will likely open another chapter in the Curry vs. James saga.
[lawrence-related id=37141,37132,37127]
[vertical-gallery id=36879]