Saturday’s five-game slate in the NBA is headlined in part by a primetime matchup on ABC between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. It is a crucial contest for playoff positioning in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is currently sixth with a 34-24 record, while Golden State is eighth at 31-28.
Let’s dive into my Lakers vs. Warriors prediction.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors odds
Money line: Lakers -156 / Warriors +132
Spread: Lakers -3.5 (-104) / Warriors +3.5 (-116)
Total: Over 226.5 (-106) / Under 226.5 (-114)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors best bet: Lakers -3.5 (-104)
Golden State has not won back-to-back games since reeling off four in succession between January 13 and 19. They will have to end that drought if they want to get the job done on Saturday, because they are coming off a success against Memphis on Wednesday. It is really no surprise that the Warriors have not been able to enjoy any kind of extended success. After all, superstar guard Stephen Curry has missed the entirety of February due to a knee injury and Jimmy Butler is out for the year with a torn ACL. Curry will be reevaluated this weekend, so he obviously won’t play in this contest. Moreover, Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and De’Anthony Melton (knee) are questionable.
As for the Lakers, they are healthy for the most part. Both LeBron James Luka and Doncic are good to go. Only Rui Hachimura is on the injury report (questionable for Saturday with an illness). Nonetheless, L.A. is not playing particularly well — a loser of three straight games. Still, its two most recent setbacks have come down to the final shot (a 110-109 loss to Orlando and a 113-110 loss at Phoenix).
These two teams last faced each other on February 7, when Los Angeles scored a 105-99 victory. That game may have been in L.A., but the Lakers were without Doncic. Now that Doncic is back and Curry remains on the shelf, another relatively comfortable win for the Lakers should be on offer.