SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Maybe the equilibrium of the state of California depends on it, but the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors are typically at opposite ends of the NBA spectrum.
When the Lakers had championship caliber teams, the Warriors were bottom dwellers, lucky to upset a higher seeded opponent if they made the playoffs at all.
When the Warriors have championship caliber teams, as they have had the past four seasons, the Lakers have seen the darkest days of their franchise.
Now that the Lakers have LeBron James, there's a chance for them to close the gap. There's a chance the Lakers and Warriors might be at the top of the NBA food chain once more.
"I think it will be fun for me and all NBA fans," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. "Both of these teams have an unbelievable fan base. To get both teams at the top will be fun. Golden State is there and we are working on getting there, so hopefully we can see that happen."
Wednesday's preseason game in Las Vegas offered a taste of what might come between the teams. Their meeting Friday offered no such predictive properties as most of the teams' principle players spent a lot of time on the bench.
The Lakers beat the Warriors 119-105 at the SAP Center in San Jose, making a comeback after being down 17 once both teams' reserve players entered the game.
Svi Mykhailiuk led all scorers with 22 points.
James, Brandon Ingram, Rajon Rondo, Josh Hart and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all sat out of the game for the Lakers and Kevin Durant rested for the Warriors.
James and Rondo were being rested. Hart is out as a precautionary measure after he tweaked his hamstring last week. Caldwell-Pope returned to Los Angeles to rehab right knee tendinitis.
