Los Angeles and Golden State are battling it out in the Western Conference for a play-in spot. As it stands, there is a 2.5-game cushion between the 10^th-place Warriors and 11^th-ranked Jazz. Similarly, the ninth-placed Lakers trail the eighth-seeded Kings by two matches. It’s not a thrilling race if it can be called that. These once powerful foes are meandering in play-in mediocrity.

Being at home has given the Warriors a -5.5 spread, per the odds of the NBA.

Lakers vs. Warriors NBA Betting Odds

These Californian rivals last battled in late January, a bewitching contest that required extra time. The Lakers prevailed, if barely, 145-144, one of the highest-scoring NBA games of the season in a campaign that has witnessed a plethora of video game-style high scores. That contest was only the first this season between LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

Speaking of King James, he’ll be nursing his ankle on the sideline, as will Cam Reddish. F Christian Wood is resting a knee and will be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks.

In-Season Tournament aside, L.A. hasn’t given its fanbase much to get excited about this season, nor has it inspired much confidence in betters. The club is only 26-30 ATS. It has covered thrice in a row, but that only matched a season-high. The Lakers have won four consecutive games on the road, something that seemed unimaginable a short while ago.

As for the Warriors, Chris Paul (out) and Gary Payton II (day-to-day) are set to miss Thursday’s action. Concerning the spread, Golden State has fared a bit better than their opponents, posting a 27-24-2 overall record. This has been aided by a recent and positive sequence just before the break during which they covered six of seven covers.

Los Angeles Lakers

This won’t be the first time this season the Lakers head into battle for a big Thursday night road game without their leader James. A few weeks ago the purple and gold rolled into Boston and convincingly outplayed their historic rivals with both James and Anthony Davis sitting out, so it’s not as though they haven’t faced a situation like this before.

We haven’t said many positive things about L.A. so far in this article but the truth is they are playing better basketball lately. The team has conquered six of its last seven foes, the only loss being against the defending champion Nuggets. Nothing to be ashamed of there. The Lakers are a funny team insofar as they take few shots per game (87.5, 25^th) yet have the fourth-best field goal percentage at 49.2 per cent. They’ll have to keep up that efficiency because Golden State is an excellent rebounding team, corralling 34.3 a game on the defensive side. The biggest worry here is that they aren’t a great defensive team (18^th) and the Warriors can still light it up when they’re on fire. Look for Austin Reeves and D’Angelo Russell to have big games.

Golden State Warriors

There is a terrific article over at ESPN that dives into what’s happened to the Golden State Warriors. We won’t go into all the details (it’s a long read) but it does appear as though a once unbeatable franchise is now at a crossroads.

Stephen Curry is having a tremendous season, scoring an average of 28 points a game, which ranks him sixth in the NBA. It doesn’t look like he’s getting any older, even though the truth is this can’t last forever. He also can’t do it on his own. Klay Thompson’s game, once as sure-fire as Curry’s, has taken a few steps back. Draymond Green can’t always play and too often it’s for the wrong reasons. This makes younger roster members like Jonathan Kuminga and rookie Brandin Podziemski so important, keys to a possible brighter future. Dario Saric has had some nice games too this year.

The club has lost 14 of the 27 times when the score was a five-point difference in the final five minutes of games. That has to change immediately.

NBA Prediction: Who Will Win Lakers vs. Warriors?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Lakers Team Leaders

LAL

Points	LeBron James 25.66
Assists	LeBron James 8.3
Rebounds	Anthony Davis 12.64
FG%	Jaxson Hayes 72
Steals	LeBron James 1.25
Blocks	Anthony Davis 2.34

GS

Points	Stephen Curry 26.43
Assists	Chris Paul 6.78
Rebounds	Draymond Green 7.24
FG%	Trayce Jackson-Davis 70.2
Steals	Chris Paul 1.21
Blocks	Trayce Jackson-Davis 1.12

LAL

Points	Anthony Davis 27.8
Assists	LeBron James 8.8
Rebounds	Anthony Davis 15.6
FG%	Anthony Davis 63.4
Steals	LeBron James 2.4
Blocks	Anthony Davis 1.6

GS

Points
Assists
Rebounds	Did not qualify
FG%
Steals
Blocks

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Warriors Team Leaders

LAL

Points	LeBron James 25.66
Assists	LeBron James 8.3
Rebounds	Anthony Davis 12.64
FG%	Jaxson Hayes 72
Steals	LeBron James 1.25
Blocks	Anthony Davis 2.34

GS

Points	Stephen Curry 26.43
Assists	Chris Paul 6.78
Rebounds	Draymond Green 7.24
FG%	Trayce Jackson-Davis 70.2
Steals	Chris Paul 1.21
Blocks	Trayce Jackson-Davis 1.12

LAL

Points	Anthony Davis 27.8
Assists	LeBron James 8.8
Rebounds	Anthony Davis 15.6
FG%	Anthony Davis 63.4
Steals	LeBron James 2.4
Blocks	Anthony Davis 1.6

GS

Points
Assists
Rebounds	Did not qualify
FG%
Steals
Blocks

Injuries

L.A. Lakers

Cam Reddish (SF)

Out Mon Ankle - 16 / 04 / 24

Cam Reddish (SF)

Prob Wed Personal - 01 / 04 / 24

Gabe Vincent (SG)

Prob Wed Knee - 01 / 04 / 24

Jaxson Hayes (C)

Prob Tues Calf - 31 / 03 / 24

D'Angelo Russell (PG)

Prob Tues Illness - 24 / 03 / 24

Taurean Prince (SF)

Prob Sun Personal - 22 / 03 / 24

Jalen Hood-Schifino (PG)

Out indefinitely Back - 21 / 03 / 24

Cam Reddish (SF)

Prob Fri Ankle - 10 / 03 / 24

Cam Reddish (SF)

Prob Fri Ankle - 07 / 03 / 24

Cam Reddish (SF)

Ques Fri Ankle - 05 / 03 / 24

Golden State

Draymond Green (PF)

Prob Tues Knee - 13 / 04 / 24

Klay Thompson (SG)

Prob Sun Knee - 13 / 04 / 24

Chris Paul (PG)

Prob Sun Hamstring - 13 / 04 / 24

Javonte Green (SG)

Ques Sun Rest - 13 / 04 / 24

Jonathan Kuminga (PF)

Ques Sun Pelvis - 12 / 04 / 24

Dario Saric (SF)

Ques Sun Knee - 12 / 04 / 24

Gary Payton II (PG)

Out Tues Calf - 11 / 04 / 24

Klay Thompson (SG)

Prob Fri Knee - 11 / 04 / 24

Draymond Green (PF)

Prob Fri Knee - 10 / 04 / 24

Draymond Green (PF)

Prob Tues Back - 08 / 04 / 24

Injuries

L.A. Lakers

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Cam Reddish (SF)	Out Mon	Ankle - 16 / 04 / 24	3-2	2-3	+ -
Reddish is hampered by a right ankle sprain, and he will not suit up against the Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western Conference first round.
Cam Reddish (SF)	Prob Wed	Personal - 01 / 04 / 24	6-6	7-5	+ -
Reddish was absent from the last match while tending to a personal matter, but it is anticipated that he will dress for Wednesday's showdown versus the Wizards.
Gabe Vincent (SG)	Prob Wed	Knee - 01 / 04 / 24	6-6	7-5	+ -
Vincent missed the previous contest with a left knee injury, but it is not expected to impact his status against the Wizards on Wednesday.
Jaxson Hayes (C)	Prob Tues	Calf - 31 / 03 / 24	6-7	7-6	+ -
Hayes missed the last game with a left calf contusion, but it is anticipated that he will be active for Tuesday's clash with the Raptors.
D'Angelo Russell (PG)	Prob Tues	Illness - 24 / 03 / 24	9-8	10-7	+ -
Russell missed the last game ailing from an illness, but it is anticipated that he will take the court against the Bucks on Tuesday.
Taurean Prince (SF)	Prob Sun	Personal - 22 / 03 / 24	10-8	11-7	+ -
Prince missed the last contest due to a personal matter, but it is expected that he will suit up against the Pacers on Sunday.
Jalen Hood-Schifino (PG)	Out indefinitely	Back - 21 / 03 / 24	10-8	11-7	+ -
Hood-Schifino is idle after undergoing a lumbar microdiscectomy procedure, and the severity of the ailment is unknown.
Cam Reddish (SF)	Prob Fri	Ankle - 10 / 03 / 24	12-10	14-8	+ -
Reddish has been absent the previous four games due to a right ankle sprain, but it is anticipated that he will take the floor against the 76ers on Friday.
Cam Reddish (SF)	Prob Fri	Ankle - 07 / 03 / 24	13-11	15-9	+ -
Reddish is expected to lace up for Friday's matchup with the Bucks despite a right ankle sprain.
Cam Reddish (SF)	Ques Fri	Ankle - 05 / 03 / 24	13-12	16-9	+ -
Reddish missed the last game nursing a right ankle sprain, and it is yet to be determined if he will take the court Friday against the Bucks.

Golden State

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Draymond Green (PF)	Prob Tues	Knee - 13 / 04 / 24	0-3	1-1-1	+ -
Green is tending to a right knee contusion, but it is expected that he will be active for the Western Conference Play-in tournament versus the Kings.
Klay Thompson (SG)	Prob Sun	Knee - 13 / 04 / 24	0-3	1-1-1	+ -
Thompson is dealing with right knee tendinitis, but it is likely that he will dress Sunday versus the Jazz.
Chris Paul (PG)	Prob Sun	Hamstring - 13 / 04 / 24	0-3	1-1-1	+ -
Paul is nursing left hamstring tightness, but it is likely that he will partake in Sunday's matchup with the Jazz.
Javonte Green (SG)	Ques Sun	Rest - 13 / 04 / 24	0-3	1-1-1	+ -
Green may be held out of Sunday's clash against the Knicks for rest purposes.
Jonathan Kuminga (PF)	Ques Sun	Pelvis - 12 / 04 / 24	1-3	2-1-1	+ -
Kuminga was absent from the last contest due to a right pelvic contusion, and it is uncertain if he will face the Jazz on Sunday.
Dario Saric (SF)	Ques Sun	Knee - 12 / 04 / 24	1-3	2-1-1	+ -
Saric missed the previous match with lateral joint line pain in his right knee, leaving his status for Sunday's clash against the Jazz in question.
Gary Payton II (PG)	Out Tues	Calf - 11 / 04 / 24	1-3	2-1-1	+ -
Payton II is managing left calf tightness, and he will not be in the lineup versus the Kings for the Western Conference Play-in tournament.
Klay Thompson (SG)	Prob Fri	Knee - 11 / 04 / 24	1-3	2-1-1	+ -
Thompson was absent from the previous match with right knee tendinitis, but it is anticipated that he will be active against the Pelicans on Friday.
Draymond Green (PF)	Prob Fri	Knee - 10 / 04 / 24	1-4	3-1-1	+ -
Green missed the last game due to a right knee contusion, but he is expected to be available for Friday's clash versus the Pelicans.
Draymond Green (PF)	Prob Tues	Back - 08 / 04 / 24	1-5	3-2-1	+ -
Green was lifted from the last game due to a back injury, but it is likely that he will dress for Tuesday's matchup with the Lakers.