LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers welcome Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors to the Staples Center on Monday evening. Western Conference rivals will meet in the final game of the NBA’s busiest MLK day schedule. The Lakers have won five in a row and improved to 11-3 overall. Golden State is 6-6 at TUU this season, though the team has been good from the 0-2 start.
Tip-off 10 p.m. ET. William Hill Sports Book Los Angeles’ latest Lakers vs. Warriors odds are 8.5 point favorites. The over-under is 227 for the total number of points expected. Before making any Warriors vs. Lakers picks, be sure to look at NBA predictions and betting tips from Sportsline’s proven computer model.
The Sportsline projection model mimics every NBA game 10,000 times, and it returned $ 5,000 of its top-notch NBA picks last season. Over the last two-plus years, this model has increased by around 8,100. Previous to last season, it was on the roll of 67-38 of the top-ranked picks against the spread, with only about 500 of those options returning 500,500. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on the Lakers vs. Warriors. You can go to Sportsline to see its options. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting trends for the Warriors vs. Lakers:
Warriors vs. Lakers spread: Lakers -8.5
Warriors vs. Lakers Over-Under: 227 points
Warriors vs. Lakers money line: Lakers -430, Warriors +350
GSW: The Warriors are 5-5 against the spread over the last 10 games
LAL: The Lakers are 6-4 against the spread over the last 10 games
Why the Warriors might be involved
The Warriors are aggressively dangerous, especially Curry on the ground. The former MVP has averaged 28.4 points, 6.2 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game, and has consistently threatened to be the best perimeter shooter in NBA history. Golden State also shares the ball at the top, with a 64.3 percent assist rate in the league’s top five, and the Warriors are the top six in free throw formation.
The Warriors also do well in trade warfare, turning the ball over only 14.3 percent of their possessions and ranking in the league’s top 10, forcing them to trade in 15.4 percent of defensive outings. Golden State is also above average in shooting efficiency, yielding an effective field goal mark of 52.4 percent, and allowing just 43.5 points per game in the Warriors’ paint, which is the NBA’s top-eight this season.
Why the Lakers can be involved
The Lakers are one of the NBA’s best defensive teams, and they face a Warriors team that can slow down. Los Angeles currently leads the league in defensive rating, giving up only 1.04 points per possession, and Golden State’s offensive rating is below. The Warriors are averaging just 1.064 points per possession this season, and Golden State struggles to produce offensive rebounds, pulling in just 23.2 percent of their shots.
The Warriors fight on the defensive glass, posting a 71.4 percent defensive rebounding rate, and the Lakers can benefit from using their top-10 offensive rebounding attacks. Curry is a constant worry for any opposing defense, but Los Angeles has the opportunity for defensive rebounding, foul avoidance, blocked shots and shooting efficiency. That formula should be effective in this adjustment at home.
How to Pick Lakers vs. Warriors
The sportsline model is leaning towards the total, with teams expected to accumulate 221 points. The model states that one side of the spread hits 50 percent of the time. You can get that option on Sportsline.
