Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State Warriors Odds: Game 1 Preview

Heavyweights Collide in the West

Steph Curry and the Warriors will begin their second-round matchup against LeBron James and the Lakers in a showdown between two of the most influential players of this generation. Let’s dive into our Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State Warriors Odds preview for Game 1 as we pick out some market value for bettors.

The Warriors survived a Game 7 on the road in Sacramento to remain unbeaten in series where their Big 3 of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green feature in every game. The short turnaround presents a huge challenge for Golden State, who return home off an emotional win in a tiring series.

The Lakers were impressive in their closeout game over the Memphis Grizzlies, but that physical series would’ve taken its own toll as the their superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis logged big minutes. Just how those two hold up in an uptempo series with limited rest between games could also be key in dictating just how this one plays out.

The Warriors opened as 5.0-point favorites for Game 1, but the NBA point spread was quickly bet down to -4.5 as money came in on the well-rested Lakers. The total for this one has been set at 228.5 points.

Warriors Need to Control Tempo

After a taxing series against a run-and-gun Sacramento team, it’s imperative that the Warriors don’t allow the Lakers to do the same in transition.

LA’s halfcourt offense has been mediocre for some time now and forcing the Lakers to play half court basketball is going to be the best avenue for Golden State to be successful both in this series and in Game 1 specifically.

The Lakers averaged just 0.89 points per possession in the halfcourt (13th in the playoffs) against the Grizzlies and ranked 11th in Effective Field Goal percentage (52.7%).

LA were able to make up for that by constantly crashing the offensive glass last series and using their defense to create opportunities in transition, but if Golden State can just limit things to being played in halfcourt sets and one-and-done possessions they own a huge advantage in this matchup.

The flip side is the Warriors also need to be able to turn stops into transition opportunities themselves to stretch this Lakers defense and make them work at both ends of the floor.

In a series where things figure to play in a more traditional playoff manner than what the Warriors took part in against Sacramento there’s a chance they are able to go back to being the free-flowing offensive juggernaut that makes it difficult for teams to adapt to in the postseason.

Lakers Size Should be Advantageous

LA’s dominance on the glass was key to their win over the Grizzlies and it could again be the driving force behind their Game 1 success in this series.

Kevon Looney is coming off a hugely dominant series against the Kings, but matching up with Anthony Davis is an entirely different task and one that should work in LA’s favor.

The Lakers won both meetings with the Warriors after the trade deadline and Davis’s dominance inside was key on both occasions. In 64 minutes across the two games he scored 51 points and recorded 20 rebounds. Unsurprisingly, the Lakers won the rebounding battle in both games and also dominated the points in the paint.

Size has always been a weakness for Golden State and if the Lakers are able to take advantage of the extra rest and bully their way down low they should give themselves every chance to overcome the 3-point disparity between the teams.

The rest factor cannot be ignored here and the Lakers should be able to better implement their advantages in the first game to at least keep this one close down the stretch. The +4.5 points for LA is generous for Game 1 and is the best position on the board for this particular matchup.

That’s all for our Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State Warriors Odds preview. Be sure to check in on all our NBA playoff analysis to help you with your NBA picks and parlays.

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