Preview: Undefeated Warriors visit L.A. to face winless Lakers

Who: Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers

When: Tuesday, October 12th, 2021 @ 7PM PT

How to Watch: TNT

How to Listen: 95.7 The Game

Injuries:

Warriors: Klay Thompson (out, Achilles), James Wiseman (out, knee)

Lakers: Trevor Ariza (out, ankle), Talen Horton-Tucker (out, thumb), Malik Monk (out, groin), Kendrick Nunn (out, ankle)

The Warriors are rolling through this preseason with plenty of good vibes and strong momentum. They head into their Tuesday night matchup in Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers with an undefeated 3-0 record and plenty of confidence after besting the Lakers last Friday.

But Tuesday’s contest will feature a different challenge for the Dubs, as Anthony Davis will play for L.A. after missing out the last time these squads faced off.

The winless Lakers are currently 0-4, which doesn’t mean too much in the grand scheme of things. But they are dealing with the ramifications of losing the athletic talents of Talen Horton-Tucker, who will be sidelined after thumb surgery.

Golden State is already dealing with residual injury woes to star shooting guard Klay Thompson and prized young center prospect James Wiseman, but they should get a boost from the return of Gary Payton II.

The ballhawking point guard made quite an impression over Summer League with his nasty dunks and stifling defense, but has missed all of preseason so far with a hernia issue. This contest against L.A. should give him another opportunity to showcase his skills and convince Warriors’ front office that he should make the roster in a tight race for the team’s 15th spot.

Golden State guard Jordan Poole has been lighting up the scoreboard this preseason, leading the team in scoring and jaw dropping highlights. It’s nice for superstar Stephen Curry to pick and choose his spots while his younger teammate gets busy during these exhibition games; can you imagine what’ll be like when Thompson is back in the mix? #SplashFamily