It’s a first-against-last scenario on Thursday, as the West-leading Lakers visit the basement-dwelling Warriors. LA has won eight of nine SU and is 4-1 ATS in its last five, so even with LeBron James sidelined, the Lakers opened as 14-point favorites on the road.
- Date/Time: February 27, 10:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: Chase Center
- TV Coverage: TNT, TSN 5
- Sportsbook Odds: Lakers -14 | O/U 225.5
- Lakers vs Warriors Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Lakers are an NBA-best 23-5 on the road, sit first in the Western Conference standings and have won eight of their last nine, while Golden State has won just three games since the start of the new year. Even with LeBron James sitting this one out, the Lakers opened as whopping 14-point road favorites.
Though the Lakers have played in a lot of high-scoring games lately, most of their recent games against the Warriors have seen lower scores. Combined with James’ absence and Golden State’s anemic offense, the result is an Sportsbook total of just 225.5 points.
Los Angeles News & Notes
The Lakers continue to roll, notching their sixth straight win – and eighth in their last nine games – with a 118-109 victory against New Orleans on Tuesday. LeBron James led the way with a season-high 40 points, but his hard work will earn him an extra day or two of rest, as the Lakers announced Wednesday night that he will sit out Thursday with a sore groin.
That means the bulk of the offensive duties will fall to the Lakers’ other megastar, forward Anthony Davis, who actually leads the team with 26.7 points per game.
The Lakers as a team have also seen the total go OVER in 13 of their last 19 games this season, so although James’ absence leaves a big hole in the offense, another high-scoring game could be in store Thursday as Golden State is allowing the seventh-most points in the league.
Golden State News & Notes
How bad have things gotten in Golden State this season? In addition to losing seven straight games, 12 of their last 14, and 22 of their last 25 games, what was once the most prolific three-point shooting team in the NBA has become one of the league’s worst due to injuries.
In their most recent loss, a 112-94 defeat to Sacramento, the Warriors started the game 1-for-17 from behind the arc … and finished just 4-for-28. Obviously the absence of Klay Thompson and Steph Curry has a direct impact, but the Warriors have the fourth-worst three-point shooting percentage in the league and have made the third-fewest triples in the NBA.
The Warriors offense has been especially cold lately, topping 106 points just once in their last seven games, with the total going UNDER in five of those games. Add in that star forward Draymond Green is questionable after missing two straight games with a pelvic injury, and it’s likely that the Warriors have another low-scoring game on Thursday.
Betting Pick: UNDER Warriors Team Total 106
Even if Draymond Green plays, he won’t be 100 percent and the Warriors have only averaged about 102 points over their last seven games. Against Los Angeles’ seventh-ranked defense, I don’t see them scoring much Thursday.
- Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
- The UNDER is 5-2 in Golden State’s last 7 games vs the Lakers.
- Golden State is 0-7 SU in its last 7 games at home.
