LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have their Christmas Day matchup with the Warriors at Chase Center circled on the calendar.
The two Western Conference foes will face off on one of the biggest nights of every NBA season for the first time since 2018, when Los Angeles beat Golden State 127-101 at Oracle Arena.
James, in speaking to reporters after Los Angeles' loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday, expressed his excitement for the prime time game against Curry and the Warriors.
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When the Lakers and Warriors match up Wednesday, it will be the 4th time LeBron James and Stephen Curry will have played each other on Christmas. LeBron: “I don’t know how many more opportunities we’re going to get to go against each other …” pic.twitter.com/y8MCZJR1aD
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 24, 2024
"Always. Any time you get an opportunity to get out on the court and compete against one of the greats to ever play this game, you don't take it for granted," James said. "I don't know how many more opportunities we'll get to go against each other, so it's always fun."
Curry and James have an extensive history playing against one another, highlighted by four consecutive NBA Finals matchups from 2014-2017 when James played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, before the two became Western Conference rivals after James joined the Lakers in July 2018.
The two shared the court together as teammates, outside of an NBA All-Star Game, for the first time this summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, helping lead Team USA to a gold medal win, in which James was able to witness Curry's greatness up close as an ally rather than a pesky rival.
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"Depends on what side I'm on," James said when asked what it's like to witness a signature Curry Flurry. "I got to see it this past summer with Team USA. Great feeling. Obviously, on the other side is a not-so-good feeling."
The Warriors will have their hands full on Wednesday with James and his All-Star counterpart, center Anthony Davis, who believes Golden State has improved since acquiring veteran guard Dennis Schröder in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
Anthony Davis notes the Warriors’ addition of former Lakers guard Dennis Schroder as something to factor into heading into Christmas Day: pic.twitter.com/r8kIdLpnUx
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 24, 2024
"We always have battles with them. We've seen them in the playoffs a couple years," Davis told reporters Monday. "They added Dennis [Schröder] to their team, that was a good pickup for them. It's going to be fun going up to the Bay and try and get a win on Christmas Day."
The battle between the two marquee franchises and Pacific Division rivals should not disappoint, and with both the Warriors and Lakers expected to make playoff pushes late in the season, this could be the first of potentially many high-profile matchups this season.
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