Lakers vs. Warriors: Prediction, Preview for Game 1 of 2023 NBA Playoff Series

The most anticipated matchup of the 2023 NBA playoffs is hours away from tipping off.

From a neutral perspective, it would've been great to see the Sacramento Kings dethrone the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors and reignite their postseason rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers. Let's party like it's 2002.

But Lakers vs. Warriors is arguably the more narrative-rich pairing given LeBron James and Stephen Curry's shared history.

For as reductive as it sounds, this series might come down to which of the two plays better as well.

The Warriors had their backs against the wall in the first round. They were surprisingly passive in a Game 6 defeat and trailed the Kings at halftime of Game 7.

Then Curry went supernova in the second half en route to a 50-point performance, which made him the first player ever to hit that mark in a Game 7.

Golden State is more than just its best player, but Curry sent a reminder Sunday that there's almost no solution for him when he has the hot hand.

Add in the Warriors' collective playoff experience, and they have potentially made themselves the championship favorites. Do you want to bet against them?

The Lakers, meanwhile, are still waiting for James to hit his usual postseason level. In six games against the Memphis Grizzlies, he averaged 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists. According to Basketball Reference, he had a 26.4 percent usage rate, well below his career average (31.9 percent) in the playoffs.

Maybe LeBron preserved his energy in the opening round, confident he and the Lakers could handle the Grizzlies after Memphis was steadily exposed as a pretender. But he's also a 38-year-old fighting through a foot injury that sidelined him in the regular season.

The Lakers are much stronger now compared to last year or even earlier this season before the trade deadline. Regardless, they might be in trouble if James can't rediscover the form we've come to expect from him at this stage.

Anthony Davis was brilliant during the Lakers' 2020 championship run, and he might need to return to that level in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Looking at Game 1 in isolation, this is a great chance for Los Angeles to steal home-court advantage. Whereas it wrapped its series up against Memphis last Friday, Golden State had only one day off after dispatching Sacramento in Game 7.

James will benefit from the added rest to put together a vintage showing as the Lakers edge out the Warriors at Chase Center. Whether they can maintain that over the remainder of the series is another matter.

Prediction: Lakers 110, Warriors 104