LOS ANGELES — Considering how their seasons have ebbed and flowed so far, and the history between the stars leading their teams, it’s only appropriate that the Lakers and Golden State Warriors match up for a Christmas Day showdown on Wednesday at Chase Center.
Just a month ago, the Lakers and Warriors were sitting near the top of the Western Conference standings, opening the season with 10-5 and 12-3 records, respectively, entering Nov. 23.
How much a month can change things.
The Lakers (16-13) have gone 6-8 since then after dropping Monday’s home game to the Detroit Pistons to end their three-game winning streak.
And the Warriors (15-13) have been even worse, winning just three of their last 13 games after starting the year at the top of the conference.
But Wednesday will be another matchup between Lakers star LeBron James and Warriors star Steph Curry – two all-time greats whose careers have intersected to the point they’re considered by many to have one of the defining rivalries of the league’s modern era.
“Anytime you get an opportunity to be on the court and compete versus one of the greats to ever play this game, you never take it for granted,” James said. “I don’t know how many more opportunities we’re gonna get to go against each other, so it’s always fun.”
Wednesday will also mark the second time the Lakers and Warriors have played each other on Christmas in the past seven years, with the Lakers beating the Warriors on Dec. 25, 2018, in James’ first season with the Lakers.
In addition to the 2018 matchup, James’ and Curry’s teams squared off on Christmas for three consecutive seasons (2015-17) when James was on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Curry didn’t play in the 2017 game.
But matchups between James and Curry have historically had more at stake than Christmas Day game bragging rights.
Their teams matched up in four consecutive NBA Finals (2015-18), with Curry’s Warriors winning the championship in 2015, ‘17 and ‘18 and James’ Cavaliers coming out on top in ’16 after coming back from a 3-1 series.
“For me, as a fan, it was an awesome stretch,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “For me as a player, it wasn’t a great stretch because I wasn’t in those Finals. But it was great to have two of the icons of this generation go head to head and have some for sure classic series and then just also some classic games and classic moments.
“Throughout the history of the NBA, player and team rivalries have been good for the league and that sort of captured a moment in our generation.”
The Lakers and Warriors also played each other in the 2021 Play-In Tournament and the second round of the 2023 playoffs, with the Lakers winning both matchups
“It’s going to be good,” Anthony Davis said. “We always have battles with them, we’ve seen them in the playoffs a couple of years. It’s going to be fun to go up to The Bay and try to get a win on Christmas Day.”
Not including the Play-In Tournament game, Wednesday will mark the 53rd matchup between a team led by James and Curry. Curry’s teams have a 29-23 record in those matchups, including a 17-11 record in the playoffs.
But the relationship between James, who’s in his 22nd NBA season and will return 40 on Monday, and Curry, who’s in his 16th NBA season and will turn 37 in March, has evolved over the years since consistently playing against one another in the Finals.
James and Curry teamed up this past summer, leading Team USA to a gold medal in the Paris Olympics.
“It’s a fun battle because of the longevity of how long we’ve been doing this,” Curry said during an appearance on ESPN’s “NBA Today” on Tuesday. “There’s more appreciation and respect than probably back in the day because there was a lot of pettiness and resentment. The rivalry was real but it evolves and you still want to go at each other, but the respect is there.”
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LAKERS AT WARRIORS
When: Wednesday, 5 p.m.
Where: Chase Center, San Francisco
TV/radio: ABC/ESPN, 710 AM