Lakers Try to Bounce Back Against Warriors Tonight

The Lakers have lost back-to-back games only once this season, to the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors in January.

They’ll try to avoid duplicating that tonight here against the Warriors, who already have beaten them twice in the Oakland Coliseum Arena and are bidding to join the Dallas Mavericks as the only team with three wins against the Lakers this season. It is the final meeting of the season between the teams.

Golden State lost all three meetings at the Forum, the most recent loss coming last Friday when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 30 points to lead the Lakers to a 121-109 win.

The Lakers, 107-100 losers to Utah in Salt Lake City Saturday night, were heartened to learn that X-rays on Michael Cooper’s right thumb were negative. Cooper, who had feared a partial ligament tear, practiced Monday and is expected to play tonight.