Warriors-Lakers preview: Jimmy Butler, Luka Doncic make rivalry debut

How much has changed since the Warriors last played the Lakers in Los Angeles on Feb. 6?

Almost everything. 

When the Warriors travel to Crypto.com Arena for Thursday night’s nationally televised showdown (7 p.m., TNT) to end a six-game road trip, mainstays Steph Curry and LeBron James will, of course, be there. 

The two all-time greats have met in four NBA Finals and two other playoff settings, and any meeting between the icons would be intriguing enough. 

But this time, each will now be flanked by a new superstar teammate. 

Each storied Western Conference franchise used the trade market to completely rework its roster in preparation for what they hope are deep playoff pushes. 

The Warriors (44-31) are the fifth seed and Los Angeles (46-29) is the seeded fourth. Golden State is a half-game ahead of the sixth and seventh seeds, and one game up on the No. 8-seeded Clippers. 

Golden State traded veteran Andrew Wiggins to Miami as the centerpiece of a deal that brought six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler from South Beach to the Bay Area.

A few days earlier, Los Angeles stunned the NBA world by shipping the longtime franchise centerpiece Anthony Davis to Dallas in exchange for 25-year-old megastar Luka Doncic.

Doncic did not play against the Warriors in early February, a 120-112 Los Angeles win, but will suit up against the Warriors in their return.  

“Every time we play them, and whenever you get the opportunity to play against LeBron, it’s always a battle amongst us,” Green said. “Now you add Luka to the fold and it’s different, Dorian Finney-Smith is different and they’re playing great basketball.”

Both moves paid immediate dividends for their respective teams. 

The Warriors won 14 of their first 16 with Butler, and after a brief malaise that saw the team three of five after that run, the Warriors have now won three road games in a row.

The Warriors went from the 10th seed, dangling on the edge of missing the play-in tournament, to a team that could get homecourt advantage in the first round. 

“Jimmy saved our season, the trade saved our season,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the Warriors defeated Memphis on Tuesday. 

Butler has averaged 17.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.2 assists since joining Golden State, but his impact has gone far beyond those counting stats. 

The 35-year-old wing has given the Warriors another dependable ballhandler and shot-creator next to Curry – who scored 52 points and passed Jerry West on the all-time scoring list against Memphis – and has had several big moments in crunch time. 

Butler has also provided Golden State with a stopper who can play high-level defense against the league’s other top scorers. 

“Jimmy has made the rest of the pieces fit,” Kerr said. 

It is a skillset that will be tested by Doncic and the new-look Lakers.

Doncic has fit in seamlessly with James, averaging 27-9-8 while allowing the league’s all-time leading scorer to carry less of an all-around burden.

Like Butler and the Warriors, the addition of Doncic provided an immediate shot in the arm for the team. 

The Lakers won nine of their first 11 after Doncic entered the lineup on Feb. 10. They have cooled off considerably – going 6-8 since that winning run –  but have won two in a row entering Thursday’s game.

After playing in Los Angeles, the Warriors will host No. 3 seed Denver at Chase Center on Friday, then will play the second-seeded Rockets at home on Sunday.