Draymond confident Warriors would beat Lakers in play-in game originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
There are still a lot of unknowns for the No. 6-10 seed in the Western Conference as teams fight for their playoff lives with three games remaining in the 2023-24 regular season.
But there’s one thing Draymond Green is certain of: His Warriors would defeat LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers if the teams meet in the NBA Play-In tournament.
“We beat the Lakers the last few times,” Green said on Wednesday’s “The Draymond Green Show.” “The Lakers are always a difficult matchup, having [Anthony Davis] on the court it always makes a difference. I’m very confident that if we played them in a play-in situation, we could win – that we will.
“Saying that, any time you play against AD and Bron in a one-game situation, it’s difficult. They’re always more than capable of putting together a big night together, and it’s more likely that in a one-game situation they’ll do a great night together than a bad night. So it’s always difficult.
“However, that’s where we are and I have every confidence that we can take advantage of some of the things they do and win the game if that’s the case.”
Green’s confident statement certainly has some recency biasand rightly so.
Not only are the Warriors playing some of his best basketball after an up-and-down season, but Golden State has also won its last three games against Los Angeles.
The only game the Warriors have lost to the Lakers this season was their first meeting in January, a 145-144 double-overtime loss at Chase Center.
But Green believes the momentum will carry over to a potential postseason showdown with his good friend James and the Lakers.
Los Angeles (45-35) is currently in 9th place, while Golden State (44-35) is in the 10th and final play-in spot. If things stay the same through Sunday night, a do-or-die game could be in store for the Western Conference rivals.
