LOS ANGELES - Two days removed from a 116-102 blowout win over the Nuggets, the Warriors head down the coast for a matchup with the Lakers that's all-but-lost its early-season luster.
Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 6 o'clock with Warriors Outsiders, followed by Warriors Pregame Live at 6:30 and the scheduled 7:40 pm tip-off from Staples Center.
[RELATED: Where Steph Curry sees himself in five years]
Last summer, Thursday's matchup was seen as a potential playoff preview. Now, with most of the Lakers' roster, including superstar LeBron James, out with injury, coupled with the team's post-All-Star break collapse, Golden State will be fighting against complacency Thursday night.
PROJECTED LINEUPS
Warriors
F Kevin Durant
F Draymond Green
C DeMarcus Cousins
G Klay Thompson
G Stephen Curry
Lakers
C JaVale McGee
F Moritz Wagner
G Rajon Rondo
G Lance Stephenson
G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Sports
INJURY REPORT
Warriors: Andrew Bogut (rest), Shaun Livingston (rest), Damian Jones (left pectoral surgery) are out.
Lakers: Tyson Chandler (flu), Kyle Kuzma (Left foot peroneal tendinitis) are questionable. Lonzo Ball (Left ankle sprain), Josh Hart (Right knee debridement procedure), Brandon Ingram (Thoracic outlet decompression surgery, right arm), LeBron James, (Sore left groin) is out.
ROTATION OUTLOOK
Warriors
Entering Thursday, Golden State has won nine of its last 12 games. Following Tuesday's win, the Warriors now have a two-game lead atop the Western Conference. Stephen Curry, with the help of contacts, is shooting 48 percent from 3-point range over his last nine games. Curry has also made at least five 3-pointers in his last nine games. DeMarcus Cousins, who finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds Tuesday, has scored in double figures in 16 of his last 17 games and is shooting 64.4 percent in his last five outings.
Lakers
With James, Hart, Ingram and Ball out for the remainder of the season, the Lakers are playing for draft position instead of a postseason appearance. Following a strong start to the season, one that included Christmas blowout of the Warriors in Oakland, the Lakers, who lost James during the Christmas win, have struggled down the stretch, going 7-14 since the All-Star break. Instead of a team thought to have an outside chance of challenging the Warriors, the Lakers will trot out a team hardly ready for the big lights.
Officials: Tony Brothers (#25), Kevin Scott (#28), Kevin Cutler (#34)
