It’s top versus bottom when the Los Angeles Lakers meet the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center on Thursday night.
The Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference right now with their 44-12 slate. LA is having a fantastic season behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. They have won six straight games and eight out of their last 10 overall. The Lakers head to the Bay Area after defeating the surging New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. The Warriors are at the bottom of the Western Conference team standings with their 12-46 record. The Dubs are 33 games behind the Lakers and they have won just twice in their last 10 outings. The Warriors enter this game with seven straight losses.
Season-High 40 Points
The Los Angeles Lakers continue to win as the Purple and Gold picked up its sixth straight victory against the rising New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson on Tuesday night at Staples Center. Williamson earned the praise of LeBron James but the old guard bested the young gun in their first-ever encounter.
James scored a season-high 40 points to lead his team to a 118-109 win. King James added eight rebounds and six assists as the Lakers won their sixth consecutive game. Anthony Davis added 21 points, 14 rebounds, and six blocked shots while Danny Green chipped in 17 points with five three-pointers.
The Lakers rank 7th in the league in scoring at 114.8 points per game this season. They are 7th in rebounding at 46.4 boards grabbed per contest and are 5th in passing at 26.2 assists per game. Los Angeles has the 7th best scoring defense in the NBA at 107.4 points per game allowed.
Bracing For Steph’s Return
The Golden State Warriors are bracing for Steph Curry’s return. The Warriors’ two-time MVP is set to return to action on March 1, 2020, after missing most of the season due to injury. Curry’s return and the NBA Draft lottery are the only two things that the Dubs are looking forward to. Golden State has the worst record in the league at 12-46 and they head to this home game with seven consecutive losses at the Chase Center.
In their last game, the Warriors suffered a 94-112 loss to the Sacramento Kings, thereby giving them their longest home losing streak since 2001. Marquese Chriss led the Dubs with 21 points while Andrew Wiggins added 16 for Golden State. Draymond Green sat out the game with a pelvic injury although he could return on Thursday. The Warriors shot just 4-28 from three-point range.
Golden State has the 4th lowest scoring average this season at 106.0 points per game scored. They are ranked 24th in rebounding at 42.9 boards grabbed per contest and are 12th in passing at 25.2 assists per game. The Warriors are 24th overall in scoring defense at 115.1 points per game allowed.
Who Wins?
The Lakers are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played. Los Angeles is 5-1 SU in their last six games played on the road. The Warriors are 0-7 SU in their last seven games played. Golden State is 0-7 SU in their last seven games played at home. Head to head, the Warriors are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played against the Lakers. Golden State is also 12-2 SU in their last 14 games played against Los Angeles.
The Warriors are looking forward to Steph Curry’s return on March 1 but until then, the struggle will continue as they simply don’t have the firepower to compete with the elite teams. The Warriors have lost eight out of their last 10 games including the last seven games.
Los Angeles is trying to create more separation between them and the Nuggets. The Lakers have won six straight games and they are coming off wins over Nuggets, Grizzlies, Celtics, and Pelicans. LeBron James is coming off a season-high 40 points and Anthony Davis has been terrific.
These teams are trending in opposite directions right now. The Warriors are struggling while the Lakers are soaring. Golden State is just 7-22 at home this season while the Lakers are 21-7 on the road this year. I don’t think that there will be any surprises here. I’ll go with the best team in the West.
Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers
Other Bets to Make
Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. The Lakers are 2-1 ATS in their last three games played on the road, and 4-1 ATS in their last five games played against the Western Conference. Golden State is 1-4 ATS in their last five games played. The Warriors are 1-4 ATS in their last five games played at home, 2-4 ATS in their last six games against the Western Conference, and 1-4 ATS in their last five February games. Head to head, the Lakers are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Warriors.
Lakers
-14.5 (-110)
Warriors
+14.5 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 02/26/20
The Lakers haven’t been that good against the spread this season. But in their last 10 games, they have covered seven times. However, Los Angeles is just 2-2 ATS in their last four games as favorites by double-digits. The Warriors have failed to cover three out of their last four games as double-digit underdogs. But the last time they did so was last February 8th when the covered a 14 point spread and lost by just five points to the Lakers. Four out of the Lakers’ last six wins have been by single digits. This isn’t a team that is fond of big winning margins.
Prediction: Warriors +14.5
The total has gone over in 13 out of the Lakers’ last 19 games played. Los Angeles has seen the total go over in each of their last three road games. The total has gone under in four out of the last five games played by the Warriors. Golden State has seen the total go under in three out of their last five games played at home. The under is 8-1 in the Warriors’ last nine games against the Pacific Division. Head to head, the under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings between these two teams.
Over
225.5 (-110)
Under
225.5 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 02/26/20
The Lakers have seen the total go over 225 points in nine out of their last 10 games played with the Purple and Gold scoring at least 117 points in eight out of their last 10 outings. The Warriors meanwhile have allowed at least 112 points in each of their last 10 games played and more than 114 points in six out of their last 10 assignments. However, Golden State has not scored more than 106 points in seven out of their last 10 outings, including the last five. The Dubs’ scoring ability makes me think twice here, especially with the Lakers playing good defense this season. I think this one goes under because the Dubs just don’t have enough firepower to help the Lakers hit the over.
Prediction: Under 225.5