The Los Angeles Lakers are 6-1 SU and 4-3 ATS in their last seven games against the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers hope to earn another win over the Warriors on Tuesday night in their season opener at Staples Center.
- Date/Time: October 19, 10 p.m. ET
- Arena: Staples Center
- TV Coverage: TNT
- Sportsbook Odds: Lakers -4.5 | O/U 230.5 (Line History)
- Warriors vs Lakers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Lakers opened as 4.5-point favorites at home, but early action on the Warriors has moved the line down to Los Angeles -3.5. The total has settled in at 226.5 points in this matchup since Sportsbook at 230.5 points. The UNDER is 8-4 in the last 12 meetings between the Lakers and Warriors.
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Golden State News & Notes
Stephen Curry led the Warriors on an 8-1 SU and ATS run in the team’s final nine regular-season games last year to earn a spot in the postseason play-in tournament. Golden State lost to the Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies in that tournament to bring their season to a disappointing end.
All eyes will be on Klay Thompson’s health status this season. Thompson tore his ACL during the 2019 postseason, forcing him to miss the 2019-20 season. Then an Achilles injury last November knocked him out of the entire 2020-21 season as well. The star shooting guard is due back before the second half of this season; until then, Curry will be tasked with keeping the team in contention with another MVP-caliber performance.
Los Angeles News & Notes
The Lakers had an active offseason that has generated plenty of buzz around the basketball world. Los Angeles made a trade to acquire Russell Westbrook and then signed a bunch of aging players to veteran minimum contracts on the first day of free agency in Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington and Kent Bazemore. Carmelo Anthony, DeAndre Jordan and Rajon Rondo were later added as well.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Westbrook create a very interesting “big three” for the Lakers. Things get even more interesting looking up and down this roster. There is clearly more than enough talent here to win the NBA championship, but chemistry and durabilty are major question marks on this veteran-laden team heading into 2021-22.
Why Golden State Will Cover
The Lakers went 0-6 SU this preseason and lost those games by an average of 15 points per game. It’s important not to put too much weight on the preseason, but it’s also safe to assume this heavily revamped Lakers roster is going to need some time to build chemistry. Golden State could take advantage with a win here.
Why Los Angeles Will Cover
Even with chemistry concerns heading into the regular season, the Lakers are just so stacked with talent that it feels like on any given night they will have many paths to victory. If James is able to facilitate all of the weapons he now has at his disposal, the Lakers should come out on top at home.
Computer Pick: Warriors +3.5
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Buy Sports Picks Now- Golden State is 13-5 SU in its last 18 October games.
- LA is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games.
- The UNDER is 6-2 in LA’s last 8 games.
