National Basketball Association

Lakers vs. Warriors play-in: How to win $1,000 for free

Updated May. 19, 2021 8:02 p.m. ET

By Kevin Cooney
Special to FOX Sports

Once upon a time, a matchup featuring LeBron James and Stephen Curry was reserved for a seven-game NBA Finals in June – not a potential three-game mini-tournament to get in the NBA playoffs.

Yet in this bizarre and injury-plagued year in the Western Conference, both James' Los Angeles Lakers and Curry’s Golden State Warriors find themselves needing to win in the NBA's play-in round – or face an early start to summer vacation.

With FOX Super 6, you have the chance to get involved in the play-in game excitement and win big. All you have to do is answer six questions correctly about Wednesday night’s game for your chance at $1,000, absolutely for free! Just download the free app on your phone or tablet and make your picks to play.

Here are the six questions for Wednesday night's game and some quick thoughts on each.

After the first quarter, which team will be winning and by how much?
The options: Lakers by 1-3, Lakers by 4 or more, tie, Warriors by 1-3, Warriors by 4 or more

Neither team is exactly breaking the scoreboard during the first quarter this season. The Warriors are averaging 28.6 points per first quarter, good for 15th in the NBA. The Lakers are slightly worse, ranking 21st in the league at 27.8.

At home, the Lakers are averaging only 26.9 points per first quarter, 24th in the league. Golden State is averaging 27.9 points per first quarter on the road, ranking 20th.

Add it all up, and a slim Warriors lead feels right.

Will Draymond Green get a technical foul in the game?
The options: Yes, no

The Warriors' passionate heart and soul, Green has 14 technicals this season – tied with Russell Westbrook of the Washington Wizards for third-most in the league. (Luka Doncic has 15 for second, and Dwight Howard has 17.)

Green has a history with James dating to the 2016 Finals, in which he was suspended for an incident involving James. Still, Green has to know Golden State can’t afford to have him off the court tonight.

How many dunks will LeBron James have in the game?
The options: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-plus

Well, let’s see how LeBron’s ankle is. After he missed a ton of time because of a high-ankle sprain, then seemed to aggravate the injury in Sunday’s season finale against New Orleans, James might not be trying to elevate too much in order to preserve himself for a long road.

How many 3-pointers will Steph Curry make during the game?
The options: 0-4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9-plus

In three games against the Lakers this year, Curry had nine 3-pointers – his lowest mark against a Western Conference team against which he played all three games. Part of that could be the Lakers' defensive style, which takes away Curry’s touches. But it also could be a simple matter of bad nights.

Who will be the top scorer in the game?
The options: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, tie/Other

The fashionable thing would be to say Curry because the Warriors need a huge night from him to move on. In fact, Sammy P is all over Curry's scoring total prop.

However, Davis could be the sneaky right answer here. There isn't a good defensive matchup on Davis for Golden State, and with James potentially hindered by his ankle, it might be up to the Brow to carry the offensive load.

Which team will win and by how much?
The options: Lakers by 1-3, Lakers by 4-6, Lakers by 7 or more, Warriors by 1-3, Warriors by 4-6, Warriors by 7 or more

All season, Los Angeles has dealt with the aftermath of a long grind through last year’s playoffs and this season's condensed schedule. The one thing everyone said, however, was to wait until the postseason, when the Lakers would flip the switch.

This could be message-sending time for the Lakers, who are still deeper and better than Golden State, even with their recent issues. They were 2-1 against the Warriors this year and outscored them by 18.3 on average in those games.

Play the FOX Super 6 NBA Playoffs Challenge all postseason long for your chance to win big! Just download the FOX Super 6 app and make your picks each and every round.