Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Lakers 01/18/2021 NBA Odds, Preview and Prediction

The Golden State Warriors hit the road and travel to the City of Angles to take on the defending NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Monday night.

Golden State heads to Staples Center with a two-game losing streak. In their last game, the Dubs lost to the Denver Nuggets by 10 points as +4.5 betting underdogs. On the other hand, the Lakers are on a five-game winning streak and have won their last four games by at least 17 points. In their last game, Los Angeles defeated the New Orleans Pelicans by 17 points as nine-point betting favorites.

Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors currently have a record of 6-6 and they are 4th in the Pacific Division. The Dubs got back to the .500 mark after winning four out of their last six home games. However, Golden State traveled to Denver the last time out and they dropped a 10-point game to the Nuggets.

Stephen Curry is off a hot start as he leads the Dubs in scoring and passing at 28.4 points and 6.2 assists per game, respectively. He has been putting up 30.2 points and shooting 40.6% from deep in his last 10 outings. Andrew Wiggins is their second-leading scorer at 18.7 points per game while Rookie James Wiseman is averaging 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game this season.

Golden State ranks 15th in the league in scoring at 111.3 points per game scored this season. The Warriors are 13th in passing at 25.3 assists per game and they are just 19th in rebounding at 44.1 boards grabbed per contest. Golden State has the 5th worst scoring defense in the NBA at 115.3 points per game allowed.

Los Angeles Lakers

The defending champions Los Angeles Lakers currently have the best record in the NBA at 11-3. Since losing to the San Antonio Spurs last January 7th, the Lakers have gone on a five-game winning streak and have won their last four games by 17 or more points. In their last game, the Lakers had a slow start but finished strong to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 112-95 at Staples Center where they have won back to back games.

LeBron James leads the Lakers in scoring at 24.1 points per game while also grabbing 8.1 rebounds and issuing 7.7 assists per game. Anthony Davis is putting up 21.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. New acquisitions Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell are scoring 14.1 and 13.8 points per game, respectively while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma are also averaging in double-digit scoring.

The Lakers are the 7th best scoring team in the league at 115.4 points per game this season. They have the second-best scoring defense in the NBA at only 104.4 points per game allowed. Los Angeles is also the third-best rebounding team at 48.3 boards grabbed per contest. The Lakers are 10th in assists at 25.7 dimes per contest.

Who Wins?

The Warriors are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played. Golden State is 2-1 SU in their last three games played on the road, but are just 4-12 SU in their last 16 games against teams from the Pacific Division. The Lakers are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games played. Los Angeles is 11-4 SU in their last 15 games played at home. Head to head, the Warriors are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Lakers. Golden State is also 5-1 SU in their last six games played against the Lakers at Staples Center.

Golden State’s offense has blown hot and cold early in the season. The Warriors have scored 106 or fewer points in four out of their last five games played and have been limited to 95 and 104 during their current two-game slide.

The Lakers are playing the best basketball among the teams right now. They head to this game with a five-game winning streak and have won their last four games by at least 17 points. Los Angeles is the third-best rebounding team in the NBA and Golden State won’t have too many second chances here. Unless the Warriors wax hot from start to finish, the Lakers should take care of business against the Warriors.

Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers

Other Bets To Make

Golden State is 2-3 ATS in their last five games played. The Dubs are 1-4 ATS in their last five games played on the road. Los Angeles is 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last five January games but are just 6-12 ATS in their last 18 Monday games, and 3-4 ATS in their last seven home games. Head to head, the Lakers have covered six out of their last 10 meetings against the Warriors.

Golden State continues to make strides in recent weeks but not only do the Lakers have the more talented team but they are also playing better as a team. You have to credit Stephen Curry for trying to carry the Warriors early in the season and he’s on a hot streak right now. However, the Lakers have a very solid defense and they have one of the best superstar duos in the league. Los Angeles has proved to be beatable at home early in the season but I think that they will shut down the Warriors’ outside shooting and cover the spread.

Prediction: Lakers -9

The total has gone under in each 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 on the road. The under is also 9-3 in their last 12 games played against the Western Conference. The total has gone under in nine out of the last 12 games played by the Lakers. The under is also 9-2 in Los Angeles’ last 11 games against the Western Conference. Head to head, the total has gone under in six out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams.

The Lakers have held down their opponents to 104 or fewer points during their current four-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Warriors have also limited their opponents to fewer than 110 points in five out of their last six games. The Lakers have an explosive offense and the Warriors have the guns to engage them in a shootout however, with the way the Lakers have been playing defense and the fact that Golden State’s offense has been erratic this year, I like these teams to play to the under. These two have combined to score an average of 221 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 220.33 in their most recent three encounters.

Prediction: Under 225

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