Overview
- LeBron James led the Lakers to a 119-103 road win over Golden State on Thursday with 26 points and 11 rebounds, as the Warriors sat Stephen Curry for medical management after his recent knee return.
- The Lakers played short-handed with Luka Dončić (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) sidelined, Marcus Smart ruled out again with a right ankle contusion, and Jaxson Hayes out with left foot soreness.
- Houston beat Philadelphia 113-102 on Thursday to push its winning streak to eight games, keeping pace with the Lakers in the battle for the West’s No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round.
- Joel Embiid was ruled out for the 76ers at Houston due to illness, and a separate Eurohoops report said he underwent an appendectomy and was out indefinitely, leaving his near-term status unclear.
- Golden State is locked into the West’s No. 10 seed and is prioritizing a fully ready Curry for next week’s play-in, a single-elimination gateway for the 7–10 seeds to claim the final playoff spots.