NBA: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors Preview, Odds, Pick

The Golden State Warriors square with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first NBA game for these two franchises this season. The Pacific Division rivals take on one another at the Chase Center, the home of the NBA champions, the Warriors. According to all the bookmakers, the hosts are the favorites to win this contest and defend the title. On the other side, the Lakers are not as respected as in the past, and despite having LeBron, Davis, and Westbrook, their chances to win the Larry O’Brien trophy are slim.

Prediction

LA Lakers (+210) had just one win during the preseason, which was against the Warriors on the road. No matter how that might sound impressive, the other four defeats Bron and the team suffered cast a shadow on that success. They would lose to the Kings, the Suns and the T-Wolves, twice.

The latest preseason test for the Lakers was in Minneapolis, where they suffered a 118-113 defeat. King James was looking superb days before the kick-off of his 20th NBA season. James dropped 25 points in 25 minutes with 11 boards.

Anthony Davis posted a double-double with 19 points and 13 boards, but Russell Westbrook had just five points, and was visibly frustrated. The relationship between him and the Lakers, the Lakers fans, and the city overall, isn’t great, which will be a problem for the purple and gold, who couldn’t get rid of the former NBA MVP during the offseason.

Golden State Warriors (-250) played five preseason games, winning three and losing two. The most recent was on Friday night at home against the Denver Nuggets and the back-to-back NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic. That one ended with 119-112 for the guests.

Draymond Green was back in the team, and his incident with Jordan Poole, when the veteran forward obliterated the teammate with one straight right, is forgotten. Steve Kerr wanted this sorted out as fast as possible, and we’ll see how that went.

Apart from Steph Curry, who was perfect in the preseason, and who dropped 23 points in 26 minutes against the Nuggets, we need to say that James Wiseman, the former No.2 pick at the draft, made a breakthrough during these past few weeks. He ended the night against the Nuggets with 15 points in 16 minutes, and his numbers are going up. Also, Jonathan Kuminga imposes himself as a reliable option on both ends of the court, possibly even a starter.

Head to Head Games

As said, the most recent game from a few days ago saw the Lakers triumphing in San Francisco, 124-121. The result in the last year’s series was 3-1 for the NBA champions who were much better than the division rivals.

Prediction

The hosts shouldn’t have particular trouble against the Lakers, with all due respect for the guests. They are the reigning NBA champions, who defeated the same opponent three times during the previous campaign, and the teams haven’t changed at all. The spread on the Warriors is six points, but we wouldn’t touch that, yet pick a plain victory, with the current odds on that at -250.

Pick: Golden State Warriors -250