The Golden State Warriors are set to face the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, and superstar point guard Steph Curry is available to play. This is the first game back from the All-Star break for both Golden State and the Lakers, and it is certainly a big one.
The Lakers enter this game as the 9th seed in the Western Conference, with Golden State right behind them in 10th. Just 1.5 games separate Golden State and Los Angeles in the standings, and the two teams are currently tied in the loss column.
Both hoping to climb up the Western Conference standings between now and the end of the regular season, the Lakers and Warriors have a lot of work to do. There is certainly a chance that these two teams face off in a win or go home play-in tournament game, as that would be the scenario if the standings stay how they are right now.
This being said, there is an opportunity for both the Lakers and Warriors to at least move into the top of the play-in tournament, which would give them two shots at advancing to the postseason, as opposed to facing elimination right away. That has to be the goal for both teams right now, but even if they were to stay in 9th/10th, securing home court in that first play-in game would be a big advantage.
All of these factors make this game a very important one for both teams, and while LeBron James is not available to play, Steph Curry is.