The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers tangle Wednesday in a Western Conference play-in matchup nobody saw coming earlier in the season. The Warriors (39-33 SU, 37-35 ATS) used a 15-5 finish to secure the No. 8 seed, while the Lakers (42-30 SU, 32-39-1 ATS) struggled mightily without their two superstars after Sportsbook with 21 wins in their first 27 games.
- Date/Time: May 19, 10 p.m. ET
- Arena: Staples Center
- TV Coverage: ESPN
- Sportsbook Odds: Lakers -6.5 | O/U 222.5 (Line History)
- Warriors vs Lakers Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Lakers Sportsbook at -6.5 drew plenty of action on the visitors, dropping the line all the way down to -4.5 at most sportsbooks. The total, which opened at 222.5, has dropped three points across the board.
Golden State News & Notes
There’s no real secret to the Warriors’ late-season success. Steph Curry would be an MVP lock if the Warriors had finished in the top four in the Western Conference, blitzing his way to another scoring title (32.0 ppg) while averaging an incredible 37.2 points over the Warriors’ final 20 games – five full points more than the next-closest competitor, Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal.
Can the Lakers slow Curry down? It’s possible, based on the outcome of three regular-season meetings. Curry averaged just 23.0 points in those encounters, and while he played limited minutes in a pair of blowout losses to Los Angeles, he still shot just 42.3 percent from the floor and 34.6 percent from the three-point range – well below his season marks of 48.2 and 42.1, respectively.
Los Angeles News & Notes
The Lakers appear to have survived a scare after superstar LeBron James tweaked his ankle in a season-ending win over the New Orleans Pelicans. It was just his fourth game back after being out the previous six weeks with an ankle injury; James averaged 21 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists in just under 29 minutes per game over that four-game stretch.
Fellow star forward Anthony Davis is also back to full health after missing 30 games with a calf injury. The Lakers went just 14-16 SU in his absence, then lost five of the first six games with Davis back in the lineup. Davis has averaged 19.7 points in 13 games since coming back but has scored 28 or more points in three of his past five games.
Betting Pick: Lakers -4.5 (-110)
These Lakers are built for a lengthy postseason run – and the prospect of not having to play another play-in game should motivate the home side sufficiently to take care of business here.
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Buy Sports Picks Now- Curry averaged 6.9 made 3PT in his last 20 games.
- The Warriors are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games.
- The Lakers are 4-10-1 ATS in their last 15 games.
