NBA Playoffs 2021: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors Preview and Prediction

The Golden State Warriors hit LA on Wednesday night to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in the highly anticipated play-in game. A guaranteed playoff spot is up for grabs, so look for all the stars to come out in Hollywood both on and off the court.

Who has the edge in this 7-8 matchup of the Western Conference play-in game? Let's take a look.

When: Wednesday, May 19

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

Watch: ESPN

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday

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Los Angeles Lakers (-5, 219.5) vs. Golden State Warriors - 10 PM EST

We get Steph Curry vs. LeBron James in a one-game format to get into the playoffs. I don't think the NBA could've envisioned a better matchup when they came up with the play-in concept last year.

These two teams faced off twice during the regular season, with the Lakers taking two out of three games from the Warriors.

The Warriors come into this game red-hot, winners of six straight. They are also 8-2 over their last 10 outings, mainly thanks to Steph Curry. The Chef's been cooking and finished the season as the NBA's leading scorer averaging 32 points per game.

As for the Lakers, they're finally getting healthy and peaking at the right time. Los Angeles comes into this game on a 5-game win streak. Their regular season was derailed by injuries due to their two superstars, Anthony Davis and James, missing significant time this year. Luckily for the Lakers and their fans alike, both AD and King James should be ready to go come Wednesday night.

Los Angeles has been one of the best defensive teams in the league all season long and rank in the top-5 of several, key defensive metrics including 1st in defensive rating and 2nd in points allowed. The Lakers have also done an outstanding job on Curry this season, holding him to 23 points per game on 42.1% shooting from the field and 34.4% shooting from 3-point land.

I have faith Curry will come to play in this one, but if the Warriors want to win, they'll need contributions from some of their other players. Perhaps a guy like Andrew Wiggins can step up and be the second scorer this team needs in a key situation? One thing is for sure, Curry will need one of his magical 40+ point games where he hits a ton of 3s if the Warriors want to pull this one out.

On a side note, LeBron did roll his ankle in his last game, so that is something to really watch going into Wednesday. But, all signs point to him playing. The line has also gone up from Lakers -4 to -5.5 at most books, which is another sign that James should be good to go.

As for title odds, the Lakers are still only behind the Brooklyn Nets to win it all.

I love Curry and want to see them pull this one out, but the Lakers are sound defensively. On offense, LA will also go at Curry with pick and rolls and actions to try to tire him out. They've played him well all season long and I see that continuing tomorrow night.

Golden State is also weak at rebounding the ball, so LA will also be all over the glass in this one.

As long is LeBron's ankle is good to go, look for the Lakers to roll.

Pick: Lakers -5