Ahead of their Chrismas day duel with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors showered the purple and gold's young core with praises.

Per Mark Medina of The Mercury News, Durant shared his observation on the Lakers' playstyle this season, pointing out their energetic play. He singled out the stellar play of Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.

“They're playing fast. Just energetic basketball, you can tell.”

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Durant also noted LeBron James and his ability to be a threat on both ends of the floor. This innate ability has pretty much opened up a lot of opportunities for the Lakers' young squad. Can they beat the Warriors, though?

The Lakers have somehow exceeded the expectations by various basketball analysts. Prior to the start of the season, some of them had conservative forecasts, saying that it would surprise them to see the Lakers qualify for the playoffs.

But right now, the Lakers and safely above .500 for fourth place in the Western Conference. They are winning games that they should be winning and are also upsetting several teams who are considered legitimate playoff contenders.

And on Christmas day, they'll have their biggest test yet as they go up against the Warriors. With the way things are in the NBA, we could only hope for an exciting game. Be it blow-out or a nail-biter of a game, it will be a learning experience for the Lakers, especially their young squad.