For four straight seasons, LeBron James battled against Steph Curry with the NBA title on the line.
Five years later, the rivalry is returning to the playoffs.
James’ Los Angeles Lakers are facing Curry’s Golden State Warriors in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. The Lakers are coming off a first-round series win over the No. 2 seed Memphis Grizzlies, while the Warriors escaped the No. 3 Sacramento Kings thanks to Curry’s 50 points in Game 7 on Sunday.
Game 1 of the second-round series could go a long way in determining which NBA legend gets one step closer to a fifth championship. Here is everything to know for the opening contest of the series.
When is Warriors vs. Lakers Game 1?
The Warriors-Lakers series will tip-off on Tuesday, May 2. The series will start at Chase Center in San Francisco since the Warriors (No. 6) are a higher seed than the Lakers (No. 7).
The Lakers will be coming off three full days of rest, while the Warriors have a quick turnaround following Sunday’s Game 7 victory in Sacramento.
What time is Warriors vs. Lakers Game 1?
Game 1 of the Warriors-Lakers series will begin at 7 p.m. PT on Tuesday.
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How to watch Warriors vs. Lakers
NBC Sports Bay Area will air Warriors Pregame Live beginning at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday. Right after the game, fans can tune in to NBC Sports Bay Area for Warriors Postgame Live and Dubs Talk Live.
TNT will air Game 1 of the series.
How to stream Warriors vs. Lakers
To watch NBC Sports Bay Area’s pregame and postgame coverage, click here.
The game stream is available on TNT’s website.
Full Warriors vs. Lakers Western Conference Semis schedule
Here is the schedule for Warriors-Lakers after Tuesday’s Game 1:
- Game 2: Thursday, May 4 at 6 p.m. PT (ESPN)
- Game 3: Saturday, May 6 at 5:30 p.m. PT (ABC)
- Game 4: Monday, May 8 at 7 p.m. PT (TNT)
- Game 5: Wednesday, May 10, TBD, TNT (if necessary)
- Game 6: Friday, May 12, TBD, ESPN (if necessary)
- Game 7: Sunday, May 14, TBD, TBD (if necessary)
How many times has LeBron James faced Steph Curry in the playoffs?
This will be James’ fifth playoff series against Curry with the latter holding the advantage.
The two players faced off in the NBA Finals each year from 2015 to 2018. Curry won his first championship against James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015, only for the Cavs to bounce back with an unforgettable comeback against the Warriors in the 2016 Finals. The Warriors then went back-to-back against the Cavs in 2017 and 2018 following the acquisition of Kevin Durant.
James and Curry also met in the 2021 NBA Play-In Tournament. James hit a game-winning 3-pointer to secure the Lakers the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed, while Curry and Co. went on to lose in the following play-in game and miss the playoffs.
