Tonight, we will see the Warriors on the road, facing the Lakers for the last time this regular season. This game should be the highlight of the night, carrying significant playoff implications for both teams as we navigate through the season's final games. Don’t miss this game.
LeBron James Probable
Jonathan Kuminga Questionable
Gary Payton II Out
This is the most important game of the evening. With both teams clinging to their playoff positions by impossibly close margins, tonight's game could make or break their postseason.
The Lakers are currently sitting in third place, but they are tied in record with the Nuggets. However, the Warriors aren’t far behind either, just two games back. If the Warriors can secure a win, they will be only one game behind the Lakers and on the doorstep of a home-court playoff seed.
For the Warriors, the standings could shift significantly. They are currently ranked 5th in the West, but the competition in the conference is extremely tight. Only half a game separates the Warriors in 5th from the Grizzlies in 8th place, who are in the play-in game. If the Warriors lose tonight, there is a strong possibility they could relinquish their guaranteed playoff spot, especially with several tiebreakers favoring other teams.
Given the high-stakes of this game, I expect to see both teams going full throttle. We just witnessed Curry deliver another iconic performance on Tuesday, where he scored 52 points against the Grizzlies. The Warriors are very aware of their position, and this seasoned team understands what it takes to finish strong as the season wraps up. However, the Lakers are right there with them. With comparable talent on both sides, this should be an extraordinarily close game.
The Lakers will likely have the advantage tonight solely due to home court. We’ve seen them perform excellently at home this year with only 9 losses all season. They’ve been one of the best home court teams in the league this year. With Luka, LeBron, and Reaves firing on all cylinders lately, they’re a solid betting favorite tonight
Golden State won’t be a pushover, though. We’ve seen Curry come up huge in moments like this. With Draymond and Butler flanking him on defense, this is going to be a tough nut for LA to crack. For the Warriors to take this one, they’ll need to isolate Luka and take away LeBron and Reaves on offense, forcing Luka to carry the ship tonight. That’s by no means an easy task, but they’ll need to turn this game into a Luka versus Steph offensive battle. If they’re able to do that, this game will be close.
Overall, LA is a good pick today. They have the tools to challenge the Warriors and the motivation to get it done late in the season. Unless we see another iconic Steph game, my money is on the Lakers tonight.
Money line: GSW (+102) / LAL (-122)
Total Points: 228.5
Spread: +1.5 GSW (-110) / -1.5 LAL (-110)
Homecourt advantage will be everything tonight. Even with the Warriors having a solid roster to take on the Lakers, Crypto Area is a challenging place for anyone to walk into. We have seen the Warriors come up with a few great wins lately, but with the season wrapping up, the Lakers are the safe bet tonight.
Defense will be a massive part of this game, but we’re about to see two of the best scorers in the league tonight. If either Luka or Curry is feeling it, this score could balloon early. With both the Lakers and Warriors having some high-scoring matchups lately, and their last couple of matchups being right in this ballpark, the over looks nice tonight.
This is going to be a close game, and it might just come down to the last shot. However, with the spread so tight, there isn’t much value in taking it tonight. If you’re leaning toward the Warriors, just take the money line, and if you agree with me on LA, then sacrificing a few points to avoid the possibility of a close win is a worthwhile trade-off.
This is the type of game Luka can dominate. With guard defense not being Golden State’s strong suit, and having to keep an eye on LeBron and Reaves as well, Luka should thrive tonight. He’s already surpassed this points total in five of his last seven games, so if that consistency continues, this should be an easy line to cash.
Curry was a maniac on Tuesday against the Grizzlies. Dropping 52 points, Curry knows how close they are to falling in the standings. I expect to see another iconic game out of him, and going against a weaker LA perimeter defense, he should have plenty of opportunities tonight.
We’ve seen LeBron show up big time on the boards in games like this. The lack of a dependable center in LA means a lot of team rebounding. He’s had some massive rebounding games against the Warriors too, snagging 17 in their last matchup. If you’re looking for more value on this line, even the alternative rebounding line for 9+ rebounds at +120 looks solid.
This is a hedge that LeBron and Luka will carry most of the offense tonight. We’ve seen Reaves have some solid passing nights, but in two of the three games against the Warriors, he’s had fewer than 5 assists. This line is a bit risky, but I expect Reaves to be more of a scoring threat tonight with the defense focused on LeBron and Luka.