D'Angelo Russell and the Golden State Warriors visit LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, and tipoff from the Staples Center is set for 10 p.m. ET. This is the second half of a back-to-back for the Lakers, who will be without All-NBA offseason acquisition Anthony Davis (ribs, shoulder). Rajon Rondo (calf) made his season debut on Tuesday, and he's questionable to suit up on the second leg of the back-to-back. Meanwhile, the Warriors are getting healthier. After missing several games each, Draymond Green and D'Angelo Russell are back and playing without limitation. Even with the AD injury, the Lakers sit as eight-point home favorites, down 1.5 from the opener, while the over-under for total points is 218.5 in the latest Lakers vs. Warriors odds. Before you make any Warriors vs. Lakers picks and NBA predictions, you'll want to see what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and anyone who followed it last season saw massive returns. The model finished 300-252 on all its top-rated picks. On top-rated against-the-spread and money line NBA picks alone, the model returned a whopping $4,280.
Now it has locked in on Warriors vs. Lakers. We can tell you it's leaning under, and it also has a strong against-the-spread pick, saying one side cashes in over 60 percent of simulations. Head to SportsLine now to see the pick.
The model knows James and the Lakers as a whole benefit from playing in the Staples Center in front of their home crowd. James upped his true shooting at home last year, while averaging an improved 28 points and nine assists. This will also be the second home game for Kyle Kuzma, who missed the beginning of the season while recovering from an ankle injury. As the longest-tenured Laker, Kuzma is a fan-favorite and averaged an improved 19 points and six rebounds at home last year.
While the Lakers won't have Davis, that doesn't change the fact that the Warriors have no answer defensively for James. LeBron has elevated his game in the month of November, averaging 25 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, all while leading the Lakers to a 5-1 record. Now, he draws a Warriors team that ranks dead last in defensive efficiency. Golden State has no individual defender who is equipped to deal with James, and the Warriors have no rim protection. The Warriors have allowed the league's second-highest field goal percentage at the rim, and James ranks 10th in the NBA in scoring from that distance.
But just because Los Angeles has looked unstoppable lately doesn't mean it will cover the Lakers vs. Warriors spread on Wednesday.
The model is also well aware that the Warriors are playing more competitive basketball since the return of Russell, who's averaging 38 points and seven assists in three games since returning. While Golden State hasn't won any of those games, the Warriors have covered two double-digit road spreads, providing hope that they could cover Wednesday's modest eight-point number.
So who wins Warriors vs. Lakers? And which side of the spread hits in over 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Warriors vs. Lakers spread you need to jump on Wednesday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
