EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- There is still a month remaining in the regular season, but Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said Saturday's game against the Golden State Warriors (8:30 ET, ABC) already has the feel of something more significant.
"It's going to be a big game, it's almost a playoff game," Hachimura said after Lakers practice Friday. "We played them so many times I feel like - the preseason, the playoffs and regular season games, all that. So, we know each other well."
Indeed, L.A. and Golden State have played 10 times in the last 10 months dating last to the postseason last spring and have split those games 5-5.