The 2021 NBA play-in tournament will begin on Tuesday, May 18 and run through Friday, May 21. The play-in tourney will decide the 7-8 seeds in each conference with seeds 7-10 competing over the week until the 2021 NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday, May 22. The No. 7 seed Los Angeles Lakers will face the No. 8 seed Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday on ESPN. The winner of Lakers-Dubs will play the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Warriors vs. Lakers play-in tournament game time
The game will take place on Wednesday, May 19 at 10 p.m. ET. The Pacers will host the Hornets and the game will be broadcasted nationally on ESPN.
Warriors vs. Lakers odds
Spread: -4.5
Over/Under: 219.5
Moneyline: GSW (+160), LAL (-190)
The Lakers were flying high and sat atop the Western Conference for a large chunk of the first half of the season, but things went downhill when Anthony Davis suffered an Achilles injury against the Nuggets. Los Angeles went into a slump heading into the All-Star break, and things got worse when LeBron James suffered an ankle sprain after All-Star weekend. The Lakers’ stayed afloat with both their superstars out and acquired Andre Drummond to slow their descent. Los Angeles can’t be considered an underdog with all its talent and experience.
The Warriors took their lumps at the beginning of the year as they tried to incorporate Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre, and James Wiseman into their system. The Dubs got blown out quite a few times early but began to figure things out as the year went on thanks to Stephen Curry’s legendary shooting stroke. Golden State’s new pieces are starting to mesh a little better and Draymond Green has helped hold things together defensively and as a playmaker. Nobody wants to play the NBA’s leading scorer in the first round. If Curry gets hot, some of the Western Conference’s frontrunners could be in trouble.
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