Lakers News: LA, Golden State Reveal Starters Ahead of Crucial Must-Win Matchup

Vying for the 9th seed (and possibly more) in the Western Conference playoff race, the Lakers and Warriors square off tonight with a lot on the line. 

Despite both teams having their two best players on the injury report ahead of the matchup, they're set to roll out their usual starting fives. 

For the Lakers, it'll be their best starting group this season: D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. This is easily L.A.'s best offensive starting five, but they've been horrendous defensively, posting the 29th-best defense in the league post-All-Star Break, which is when this group became their consistent starting five. 

For the Warriors, it'll be Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, and Draymond Green. This small-ball group is 6-2 and represents the group GS has trotted out since they've "figured it out," which they did a few weeks ago, turning the corner on what was previously a disappointing start to the season.

Notably, longtime starter Klay Thompson is coming off the bench, a strategy that has been working for them and can pose issues for the Lakers given his tendency to get hot from three-point range.