Lakers vs. Warriors Game 1 Preview, Odds, Predictions, Picks (May 2)

The classic between LeBron and Splash Brothers is once again ahead of us as the LA Lakers and the Golden State Warriors clash in the Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors had to go through seven games to win the series against the Kings. On the other side, the purple and gold eliminated a higher seed, the Memphis Grizzlies, who were the favorites before the start of the series, yet experienced the rage of Anthony Davis and King James. This series will be the most spectacular one of all the semifinals.

Preview

LA Lakers (+150) solved the Grizzlies in six matches, with LeBron, in the end, punishing Dillon Brooks for his cocky behavior and his disrespect. The young Grizzlies thought they could be bullies against the four-time MVP and the top scorer of all time, but that came back as a boomerang. 

LeBron averaged 22.2 points in the series with 11.2 boards, and became just one of few guys ever to reach 20 points and buckets in one playoff game. Though, we need to add that the key player of this success was Anthony Davis who had 13.7 rebounds with his 20.8 buckets. Though, h had 4.3 blocks, being the absolute ruler of the paint. 

Head coach Darvin Ham gave everyone a perfect role, so Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and all the others are contributing in the best possible way. Russell finally showed that he can be a part of a successful system. 

Golden State Warriors (-185) beat the Kings in Game 7 in Sacramento, 120-100. Once Steph Curry hits you with 50 buckets, there isn’t too much you can do. Even though the Kings had a lead and were competitive up to some point, Steph rolled over them in the crucial part of the event. 

He was 20-for-38 from the field, making seven threes, and completely covering up Klay’s poor performance, 4-for-19 for only 16 points. Andrew Wiggins was 5-for-16 for 17, but the guy who was the x-factor was Kevon Looney, with fantastic 21 rebounds, in 31 minutes. 

His offensive contribution wasn’t that high, 11 buckets, but he had 11 offensive boards which in the end turned out to be decisive because they allowed way too many second-chance points for Golden State. 

Head to Head Game

The Lakers and the Warriors are division rivals, therefore, meet four times per year. Los Angeles Lakers hold the edge in the regular-season clashes, beating the Dub Nation three times. 

The Warriors were triumphant in the first meeting of the season, back on October 18 at home, 123-109. After that, the Lakers went on to win three in a row, in San Francisco, 109-103, and then twice at home, 124-111 and 113-105. Those two events at the Crypto.com Arena were in mid-February and early March. 

Predictions

Golden State is beatable at home in the postseason, and the Kings showed us that, but in this particular event, we have to side with them. The reason is that the Dub Nation has Steph on fire. There isn’t a player in LA who can at least slow him down, while on the other side, Klay, Green, and Wiggins will chase LeBron. Also, the home court plays a role here, which is another reason why we have to side with the host. 

Pick: Golden State wins -185