“They Can’t Stop LeBron (James)”: Chris Broussard Believes Lakers Should Fancy Warriors Play-in Matchup Over Kings

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a tough situation after losing their last two games. After momentarily claiming the 8th seed, LeBron James and Co. have fallen to the 10th seed in the Western Conference. That means they might have to face either the Golden State Warriors or the Sacramento Kings on the road in their first play-in tournament game. With all three teams tied at a 45-35 record, it is uncertain who the Lakers will match up against. But veteran analyst Chris Broussard believes the Lakers should fancy playing against the Warriors over the Kings for one specific reason.

Broussard discussed the Lakers’ current play-in situation with Rob Parker on The Odd Couple podcast. He said, “Of the two, I think I’d rather face Golden State because the Lakers have a distinct advantage.” Broussard claimed if LeBron James decides to play big against Stephen Curry and Co., the Warriors will have no answer for him. “They can’t stop LeBron inside.” The Warriors have an evident size disadvantage against the Lakers.

The Warriors’ defense has struggled to stop Anthony Davis. He has played in 3 of the 4 games against the Warriors this season, averaging 21.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks. In one of those games, AD played only 12 minutes because of a mid-game eye injury. AD’s numbers would have been higher if he played the entire game. If LeBron joins AD inside the paint during their play-in matchup, the Lakers duo will have a better chance at ending the Warriors’ season. Although the Lakers are 1-3 against the Warriors in this year’s season series, it does not show the real picture because Davis got injured in one game and missed another.

Why are the Kings a bigger threat for the Lakers than Golden State?

Broussard agreed that the Warriors are a scary team in a one-and-done scenario. With sharpshooters like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, they can catch fire anytime and beat any team in the league in an elimination game. But LeBron James and Co. should still fancy facing them instead of Sacramento because the Kings have the Lakers’ number. De’Aaron Fox and Co. have dominated the Lakers recently, winning all 4 of their regular season matchups. The Lakers seem to have no answer for De’Aaron Fox’s speed and that helps Domantas Sabonis dominate inside the paint.

More importantly, Anthony Davis has never won a game against Sabonis in his career. Sabonis has a 10-0 record against AD. That could be a huge disadvantage for the Lakers as they clearly do not match well against Sacramento. The Lakers also have an abysmal 17-21 record on the road this season. So, it will be difficult for them to get past either of the teams on their turf.

The best-case scenario for the Lakers would be to finish with a better record than Golden State and Sacramento and reclaim the 8th seed. But that will require a lot of things to go their way. Who do you believe the Lakers should prefer facing in the play-in tournament?