One of the more highly anticipated games of the entire NBA season will take place on Tuesday night when the Golden State Warriors tip off with the Los Angeles Lakers. Join us for our NBA odds series where our Warriors-Lakers prediction and pick will be revealed.
Entering play occupying the tenth and final seed out in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, the Warriors are officially red-hot with wins in eight of their last nine and remain 1.5 games back of the Lakers for the ninth-place spot. Thus far, Golden State has gone a combined 2-1 against Los Angeles in three matchups this season.
For LA, the Lakers unfortunately saw their four-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the first-place Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 127-117. Minus the services of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers are hopeful that their two biggest stars can return to play for this epic showdown. Overall, Los Angeles is 45-34 and are only a game and a half behind the Phoenix Suns for the sixth seed in the playoff picture.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Warriors-Lakers Odds
Golden State Warriors: +2 (-110)
Moneyline: +114
Los Angeles Lakers: -2 (-110)
Moneyline: -134
Over: 234.5 (-112)
Under: 234.5 (-108)
How to Watch Warriors vs. Lakers
Time: 10:10 ET/7:10 PT
TV: TNT
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Warriors Could Cover The Spread/Win
Things were looking fairly grim for the Warriors only a few weeks ago, but there's no doubt that they have turned it on when it's mattered most as of late. After going down in defeat at the buzzer versus the Dallas Mavericks, it was Golden State that bounced back nicely with an eight-point win over the Utah Jazz. With playoff implications on the line, this upcoming showdown with the rival Lakers means everything.
Of course, the Warriors offense has looked like its vintage self in the team's past handful of games. Averaging more than 115 points per game, Golden State is scoring at every level of the floor. Despite being only 5-5 against the spread in their last ten games, the Warriors are also extremely impressive while out on the road with a 23-16 record as a whole. Simply put, Golden State's main core has won numerous titles over the past decade and the bright lights of LA should not affect them whatsoever.
Most specifically, the biggest advantage that the Warriors hold over the Lakers' head is in the rebounding department. Surprisingly enough, Los Angeles is the worst rebounding team in the league while Golden State ranks as the best. If the Warriors do enough harassing on both the offensive and defensive glass, then they will only eliminate LA's overall possessions while increasing their own.
Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread/Win
Obviously, the biggest question mark surrounding the Lakers are those injuries to LeBron and AD, but it would be quite the surprise if the dynamic duo missed out on a game of such epic proportions. Indeed, these two have all of the skills to take over a game in the blink of an eye. Without question, this game will be all for nothing if both of them sit out of play.
With play-in home-court advantage on the line, be on the lookout for the Lakers to go all out for this one including finding a way to catch fire from beyond the arc. On paper, Los Angeles is the seventh-best three-point shooting team in all of the NBA. Most recently, it was the Lakers that shot an average mark at 35% in the loss to the Timberwolves. Against a Warriors squad that loves to put points up on the scoreboard, it will be an absolute must for Los Angeles to get in a groove from downtown starting from the game's very first possession.
In addition, a possible solution to put this one in the win column will be to slow the pace and not give the Warriors chances to get out on the run. Statistically, the Warriors aren't afraid to put up a surplus of shot attempts in 48 minutes of play, and the Lakers just happen to be the worst team in allowing shot attempts to the opposition. Clearly, this won't be a recipe for success if the Lakers want to defend home court and send the Warriors back to the Bay packing.
Final Warriors-Lakers Prediction & Pick
It's officially crunch time, folks! In this heated rivalry, expect the unexpected. Both teams have been scalding hot of late, but it will end up being the Warriors who down the Lakers thanks to the three-ball.
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Final Warriors-Lakers Prediction & Pick: Warriors +2 (-110)
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