Lakers vs Warriors Preview and Game Thread: LeBron James and Steph Curry highlight Christmas Day

LeBron James and the Lakers will have to play Grinch this Christmas in Golden State against Steph Curry’s Warriors.

The Lakers will be on the road this Christmas, stopping in San Francisco where they will take on the Golden State Warriors. This will be the first time these two Pacific Division foes take on each other this season.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors

When: 5 p.m. PT, Dec 25

Where: Chase Center

Watch: ABC, ESPN

In my last preview, I asked whether or not the Lakers can keep up their latest defensive surge and we found out some answers from Monday night’s frustrating loss to the Detroit Pistons.

It turns out that despite L.A.’s rise on the defensive end as of late, they still have their own issues to figure out, such as how they continue to struggle to contain not just teams who can out-physical them but also ones with speedy and athletic guards. The loss was also another reminder to them that they cannot win games when they turn the ball over 18 times.

How the Lakers address these issues still remains the biggest question for the organization moving forward. But right now, the most they can do with this current roster is to make sure they find a way to beat opponents in front of them with their own capabilities, similar to what exactly the Pistons did to them on Monday night.

Los Angeles is in for another tough challenge with the Golden State next in front of them this Christmas. Yes, it may be against a team that’s also had an up-and-down season similar to theirs. Still, the spirit of the holidays can definitely play a role in bringing out the best in these two teams — especially when both LeBron James and Steph Curry have hinted that they won’t have many of these battles left moving forward.

On James and Curry, they’re a big — or perhaps THE — reason why the Lakers and Warriors are seeing each other this Christmas. They’re headlining the main event of the most eventful day of the NBA season like they have done often in their careers. And similar to those times, whoever plays better will most likely determine their team’s outcome.

But it’s also on James and Curry’s teammates to play a role in dictating the outcome. The Lakers will need to get Anthony Davis involved on offense as much as possible because we all know he’s the cheat code against teams like the Dubs who aren’t anchored by a traditional big.

It’s also up to the Lakers’ defense — hopefully the one we’ve seen as of late — to make a grand appearance on Christmas day to contain the Warriors’ wings and perimeter key players like Andrew Wiggins, newly acquired Dennis Schröder and, of course, Curry. Note that Curry has been struggling to score the ball as of late, so it’ll be nice to let that continue on Wednesday.

Statistically, the Warriors have been playing better than the Lakers on offense and defense this season. They have the league’s eight-best defense, but they also haven’t won many games as of late as they’ve lost seven out of their last 10. The purple and gold can capitalize on Golden State’s struggles of late, but it’ll also be a matter of whether Los Angeles brings the competitive spirit in this one.

That said, In line with the theme of Christmas, let’s take time to appreciate James and Curry as well as these two teams battle it out in one of the best days of the year. But hopefully, it’s the purple and gold that plays Grinch and leaves San Francisco with the laugh last and victory.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Notes and Updates

• The last time the Lakers won on Christmas Day was in 2020 against the Dallas Mavericks. It’s about time they give Lakers fans another victory this year on Christmas Day.
• For the injury report, Anthony Davis (left shoulder contusion), LeBron James (left foot injury management) and D’Angelo Russell (left thumb sprain) are listed as questionable. D’Lo, in particular, is the new name on this report after he left last Monday’s game in the fourth quarter.
• Meanwhile, the usuals: Jaxson Hayes (right ankle sprain), Jalen Hood-Schifino (left hamstring strain), Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot surgery recovery) and Christian Wood (left knee surgery recovery) are all out.
• As for the Warriors, only Gary Payton II (left calf contusion) is listed on the report as questionable.
• We will be live on Playback for this game, so be sure to join us!

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.