Two proud Western Conference teams will try to shake off their struggles on Saturday night when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors (53-20) remain second in the West but are in a tailspin, with three straight losses and just two wins in their past nine games. The Lakers (27-35) are ninth in the West and can't afford any more slip-ups as they try to snap a four-game losing skid. They are playing their sixth straight game at Crypto.com Arena, coming off a 132-111 "road" loss to the Clippers. The Warriors lost in Dallas 122-113 on Thursday night, but they have won both meetings this season -- a 117-115 home victory on Feb. 12 and a 121-114 season-opening win in L.A.
Tipoff in Los Angeles is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. Golden State is a 5.5-point favorite in Caesars Sportsbook's latest Warriors vs. Lakers odds, and the Over-Under for total points is set at 228.5. Before making any Lakers vs. Warriors picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 19 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 71-44 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning more than $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Warriors vs. Lakers, and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Lakers vs. Warriors:
- Warriors vs. Lakers spread: Golden State -5.5
- Warriors vs. Lakers over-under: 228.5 points
- Warriors vs. Lakers money line: Golden State -230, Los Angeles +190
- Warriors: Steph Curry has 701 3-point tries, most in the league by 132 shots.
- Lakers: LeBron James averages 36.8 minutes per game, fourth-most in the NBA.
Why the Warriors can cover
Golden State is 14-9-1 ATS with equal rest this season and 30-29-4 ATS this season. With Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson in the mix, the Warriors can score with anyone. The absence of defensive stalwart Draymond Green (back) has been a big blow, and he'll be out a few more weeks, but they beat the Lakers without him last month despite a cold-shooting night from Curry. Thompson scored 33 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Curry scored 24 despite making just one of eight, while Wiggins hit three of seven and had 19 points.
Curry is the most prolific 3-point shooter in the league and makes 38.7 percent of his tries. He makes 4.6 per game, most in the league, and the Warriors convert 14.4, second-most behind Utah. Thompson shoots 37.7 percent and averages almost eight attempts while Wiggins hits 40.6 percent of his 5.5 tries. Golden State is third in the NBA in point differential, scoring 110.9 points per game (10th) and allowing just 104.3 (fourth). The Lakers average 110.4 points (13th) but give up 112.7 (27th). Golden State is 10-9 ATS this season when coming off a loss.
Why the Lakers can cover
Los Angeles is 18-6 ATS when coming off a loss, and James will have redemption on his mind Saturday. He had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds in the last meeting but missed the second of three free throws then intentionally missed the third as Golden State hung on. He had 26 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, and he will be even further riled up after the loss to the rival Clippers. He scored 34 points and had 11 rebounds in the season opener. James is third in the NBA in scoring and has had to carry the team with Anthony Davis (foot) banged up again.
James has scored at least 25 points in 26 of his past 27 games. Russell Westbrook (18.1 points) and Carmelo Anthony (13.6 points) have the experience to take advantage of the absence of Green. Westbrook also averages 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists. Malik Monk has emerged as another scoring option as the Lakers have dealt with numerous injuries, and he is scoring 12.7 points per game. L.A. should come out with a sense of urgency as it battles the Pelicans, Blazers and Spurs for the final two spots in the postseason play-in tournament.
How to make Lakers vs. Warriors picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, predicting a combined 222 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Warriors vs. Lakers? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
