3 Lakers flaws the Warriors exposed in NBA Play-in

The Los Angeles Lakers may have clinched a playoff spot, but the Golden State Warriors exposed some flaws in their play-in game round matchup.

Things looked bad for the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half of their play-in round matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. Yet, the Lakers were a new team in the second half, where a clutch 3-point shot by star LeBron James gave the team a 103-100 win and the 7-seed in the Western Conference.

Sure, the Lakers did accomplish their goal of making it into the NBA Playoffs, but the Warriors exposed some flaws that could very well doom them as early as the first round against the Phoenix Suns. Here are three that stood out in the play-in game.

3. LeBron James and Anthony Davis might still be rusty

All eyes were on Lakers stars Anthony Davis and James, the two presences who helped the franchise win another NBA championship last season. But in the first half, they both startled Lakers fans simply due to the fact they were struggling.

In the first half, the Lakers stars were 3-for-19 from the field, including 2-for-15 when they were guarded by Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. Both scored a grand total of 11 points by halftime, and it looked as though the Warriors had the 7-seed in the bag.

Fans and analysts alike linked James’ struggle to his right ankle, which has been far from healthy this year. The Lakers star suffered a high ankle sprain back in March, returned, sat out to guarantee it was 100 percent before the playoffs, and then rolled it in the regular-season finale.  Head coach Frank Vogel told the media that James would play but said that he was dealing with minor soreness in the right ankle.

That talk disappeared after the duo improved down the stretch. However, this dominant duo cannot have a slow start when facing a relentless Suns team. If so, they could have an early vacation this spring.