Radio host proposes shock strategy for Warriors in pivotal matchup vs. Lakers

The Golden State Warriors head to Los Angeles to face the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, with the matchup holding the potential of proving season-defining for both teams.

The ninth-seed Lakers currently have a 1.5 game advantage on the tenth-seed Warriors as both teams desperately fight to reach the eighth-seed and subsequently two opportunities in the Play-In Tournament.

The Golden State Warriors should be doing all they can to beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday...Or should they?

Los Angeles have a strong chance of usurping the Sacramento Kings for the eighth-seed, but it will be a little trickier for Golden State who will need other results to firmly go their way over the remainder of the regular season.

It remains most likely that the Warriors will finish in the ninth or tenth-seed, yet they could still manipulate who they play in the first Play-In game. According to 95.7 The Game's Mark Willard, "it might be advantageous" for the Warriors to lose to the Lakers on Tuesday.

"Would you rather be the nine (seed) and the Lakers are at Chase (Center), or the ten (seed) and you're at Golden 1 (Center)? It's the easiest answer of all time."

- Mark Willard

Essentially Willard is proposing that Golden State, who can't drop below the tenth-seed, aid the Lakers pursuit of the eighth-seed rather than prioritizing their own unlikely hopes of finishing in that position.

Could the Warriors actually look to sacrifice Tuesday's game? Certainly not. Yet in fairness to Willard, he may have a point. With key contributors Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter out for the season, the Kings are a far less dangerous threat and their recent results have reflected as such.

Where the Warriors have won seven of their past eight games and the Lakers nine of their past 11, the Kings are just 5-5 in their past ten games. Golden State and Los Angeles appear in better form than Sacramento right now, and would therefore back themselves to win a one-off Play-In game against the Pacific rival.

While the Warriors may prefer to play the Kings in Sacramento than host the Lakers in a 9/10 Play-In game, the franchise should be prioritizing the eighth-seed while it still remains a mathematical hope. That means coming out of Los Angeles with a win on Tuesday, not to mention the desire to keep their recent momentum rolling ahead of the postseason.