Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview
Opening night of the NBA regular season kicks off Tuesday night with a doubleheader of NBA Final hopefuls. In the nightcap, the Golden State Warriors will take on the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers will host this one at the Staples Center, with tipoff scheduled for 10:00 pm ET.
For Golden State, they finished the regular season last year 39-33, good for ninth in the Eastern Conference. After missing the postseason last year, Steph Curry is trying to get the Warriors off to a good start Tuesday night.
While the Lakers made the postseason, it was anything but successful. LeBron James and company were knocked out in the first round by the eventual Western Conference winning Phoenix Suns. Now reloaded with new weapons, the Lakers are trying to make it back to the NBA Finals.
The Lakers are the favorites playing at home. They are -158 to win while the Warriors’ moneyline sits at +134. The spread features Golden State +3 (-108), and the over/under for total points is 227.5.
More Odds
The Lakers are the current favorites to win the Western Conference at +195. The Warriors are tied for the second-best odds at +550.
In terms of winning the NBA Finals, the Lakers have the second-best odds at +400, while the Warriors have the fourth-best at +1200.
By The Numbers
Last season, the Warriors had the better scoring team as they ranked 13th, averaging 113.5 points per game. The Lakers ranked 24th averaging 108.8 points.
Defensively, it was the Lakers with the edge. They ranked second in scoring defense, allowing 106.5 points per game. The Warriors ranked 18th, allowing 112.6 points per game.
Warriors Look To Get Healthy In Quest For NBA Championship
While the Golden State Warriors may not be the powerhouse that they once were, this is still a team capable of making a run at an NBA championship. Especially with the eventual return of Klay Thompson, the Warriors could be dangerous if they get fully healthy.
Leading the way for the Warriors is guard Steph Curry. Last season, in 63 games, Curry averaged 32 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
Aside from Curry, other significant contributors include Andrew Wiggins (18.6 points, 4.9 rebounds), Jordan Poole (12 points), Draymond Green (7 points, 7.1 rebounds), and Otto Porter Jr. (9.7 points, 5.4 rebounds).
Lakers Big Three May Be One Of The Best In NBA
The Lakers were already a tough matchup with the combination of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but now they have added a new superstar to the mix. This offseason, point guard Russell Westbrook joined the mix in search of a championship.
Last year, with the Washington Wizards, Westbrook averaged a triple-double as he averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 11.7 assists per game. At 32-years-old, Westbrook will try to win a championship alongside James and Davis.
Speaking of the incumbent stars, last season Lebron James averaged 25 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game over 45 games in the regular season. For Davis, he averaged 21.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.
While these three will need to be monitored during the regular season to make sure they stay fresh, they will form one of the most dangerous trios in the NBA when healthy and playing.
Taking The Lakers To Win And Cover
Later this season, when Klay Thompson returns, this will be an interesting matchup. If Thompson can return to form, there is a good reason why they are one of the favorites to win it all this season.
However, playing at the Staples Center, where the Lakers were 21-15 last season, the Lakers should be able to show their dominance early on.
Granted, Steph Curry is capable of single-handedly keeping the Warriors in this one, but expect the trio of Westbrook, James, and Davis to prevail.
Take Los Angeles to both win and cover the modest three-point spread.
