Never too high, never too low. That's the motto of the NBA Western Conference this year, as the conference has turned into a grind-it-out dogfight, where No. 5

Dwight Howard has some words for the Los Angeles Lakers, as the team tries to come up with a center. Howard used to play for the team.

In this new trade scenario from Doug McCain of The Big Lead, Los Angeles makes a splash ahead of the deadline. The deal would have them landing star forward Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans, giving Los Angeles the third star that they have wanted for some time now.

While the Lakers have momentum heading into the game, they were dealt a tough blow to the injury report ahead of their matchup against the Warriors. Before tipping off at Chase Center, the Lakers announced that forward Rui Hachimura had been downgraded to out and will miss the game against Golden State, per Jovan Buha.

For the past few seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers have not been the dominant franchise that many are accustomed to. The team had one Western Conference Finals run in the 2023 NBA season, but they came off of being in the Play-In tournament numerous times.

Jan 21, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura (28) drives past Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles is 11-13 against opponents over . The Hornets are shooting 43.1% from the field this season, 4.3 percentage points lower than the 47.4% the Lakers allow to opponents. The Lakers average 111.

NFL trade deadline rapidly approaching, here is the ultimate dream deadline scenario for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The players announced to start for the Western Conference are Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.