NBA Gameday: Warriors end regular season against Lakers team looking to future

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OAKLAND -- When the Warriors close out the regular season Wednesday night against the Lakers at Oracle Arena, they’ll treat the game as if it were a preseason battle.

In a way, it is. The Warriors (66-15) last month locked up the Pacific Division title and last week secured the No. 1 overall seed for the postseason, which begins this weekend.

With the Warriors in full playoff-preparation mode, resting players and monitoring minutes and hoping to avoid injuries, Game 82 is strictly cosmetic.

As for the Lakers (26-55), despite their current five-game win streak, they have spent the season preparing for the future. A midseason front-office overhaul indicates a change in direction as they approach the lottery.

BETTING LINE

Warriors by 13.5

MATCHUP TO WATCH

JaVale McGee vs. Larry Nance Jr.: Though McGee is not expected to start, any time he shares the floor with Nance (who has been starting at center for the Lakers) offers the promise of air traffic. Both play above the rim, live for the lob and can deliver fantastic highlights. In a game with such low stakes, eye candy is as good as it gets.

INJURY REPORT

Warriors: F Matt Barnes (R ankle/foot sprain), F Draymond Green (rest), F Andre Iguodala (rest) and F Kevon Looney (L hip strain) are listed as out.

Lakers: F Brandon Ingram (R patellar tendinitis) is listed as probable. G D’Angelo Russell (personal) and C Ivica Zubac (R high ankle sprain) are listed as out.

ROSTER NOTE

Rookie C Damian Jones has been recalled from Santa Cruz of the NBA Development League.

SERIES HISTORY

The Warriors won two of three meetings earlier this season and 10 of the last 13 dating back to 2012-13. They have won the last eight played at Oracle Arena.

THREE THINGS TO WATCH

KD PART III: This is Durant’s third and final tune-up for the postseason in the wake of a 39-day layoff caused by a sprained knee and bone bruise. He was better in Game 2 Monday than he was in Game 1 last Saturday. He is 0-of-9 from beyond the arc, though, and vows to get that fixed ASAP.

CURRY 2K: Stephen Curry needs 21 points to reach 2,000 for the season, which would make him the fourth player in team history to post multiple seasons with at least 2,000 points. The other three: Wilt Chamberlain (five times), Rick Barry (four) and Chris Mullin (two).

KLAY CLIMBS: Klay Thompson and Curry own the top five totals for 3-pointers made in a single season. With three more triples, he would surpass Ray Allen’s 269 in 2005-06 to join Curry with the six highest totals. Thompson and Curry are the only two players to reach 270, Thompson last season and Curry on four occasions.

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