Lakers Make Starting Lineup Change Due to Injury vs Warriors

The Los Angeles Lakers have announced a lineup change against the Golden State Warriors

Jan 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and forward Dorian Finney-Smith (17) react against the Boston Celtics in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As the NBA's Rivalry Week comes to a close, it will do so with a marquee matchup on Saturday night against two of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Meeting up in San Francisco at the Chase Center, the Golden State Warriors will host division rivals Los Angeles Lakers, with tip-off set for 5:30 p.m. PST on ABC.

After appearing on the injury report yesterday, Lakers star forward LeBron James will be active as he'll face off against Golden State star Stephen Curry. With a long history of NBA Finals matchups, James and Curry now matchup in the twilight of their careers despite both earning All-Star starter honors earlier this week.

JJ Redick says LeBron James is available tonight vs. Golden State. Dorian Finney-Smith is starting in place of Rui Hachimura.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) January 26, 2025

While James will be available for Los Angeles tonight, that won't be the case with veteran forward Rui Hachimura. Nursing a calf injury, Lakers head coach JJ Redick announced that mid-season acquisition Dorian Finney-Smith will replace Hachimura in the starting lineup this evening.

Since arriving from Brooklyn via trade right before the end of the calendar year, Finney-Smith has seen a decrease in his box score numbers since joining the Lakers in a lesser role. Tonight against Golden State, he'll have the chance to prove himself to Redick and the Lakers coaching staff in his first start for the purple and gold.

12 wins apiece when meeting in the regular season… another chapter of LeBron vs. Steph is going down tonight!

Lakers/Warriors for #NBARivalsWeek tips at 8:30pm/et on ABC 🍿 pic.twitter.com/zJB7XYGbBD

— NBA (@NBA) January 26, 2025

Currently split at 12 wins each in their regular season matchup, Finney-Smith will look to help LeBron take the head-to-head crown over Curry with a win tonight.

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