Do the Lakers get an important win in the fight for the Playoffs?
Thursday night is the night of a real top game in the Western Conference. In purely tabular terms, this duel is not particularly appealing, but the qualities of the two teams are undisputed. If we look at the bookmakers’ betting odds before the clash between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, the hosts seem to be the clear favourites. At first glance, the table does not give this assessment, but in detail, the distribution of the odds is comprehensible.
The home record of the Lakers is not particularly good, as Darvin Ham’s team could only win 14 of the 28 games. This puts the hosts in 24th place in the home standings, making them one of the weakest home teams in the NBA.
The form of the host does not necessarily speak for reaching the NBA playoffs. Two wins from the past six games certainly didn’t live up to expectations. Since the trade for Russell Westbrook, however, the record looks positive for the time being with two wins and one loss.
The Warriors’ away record is frightening, as Golden State have only won seven of 29 away games. This puts the visitors in 27th place in the away table and they are therefore quite rightly the underdogs in the upcoming match.
The visitors’ form has been mixed in recent weeks. With three wins from the past six games, there is definitely still room for improvement. With the last away win almost a month ago, the odds clearly point to a win for the home team between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
On the Lakers’ side, LeBron James is the Greatest Of All Time and his performance will be crucial for Los Angeles in the coming weeks. He is not underestimating the current situation and called the next 25 games “among the most important games in his career”.
Another year without NBA playoffs would be fatal for the superstar. Since LeBron can handle pressure, we recommend the tip “Player with the most points in the game – LeBron James” between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles Lakers – Statistics & current form
The Lakers are in 13th place in the Western Conference and would therefore not qualify for the NBA Playoffs. Darvin Ham’s team stands at 27 wins after 59 games and is playing a disappointing season overall. But Los Angeles can still turn the tide, because the Oklahoma City Thunder in tenth place have only one more win on their record. Tenth place would still be enough for the play-in tournament and the direct path to the NBA playoffs is currently only four wins away. With 25 games left to go, anything seems possible
Back in old stomping grounds
Drafted second overall in the first round by the Lakers on June 25, 2015. After stints with the Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves, he returned only to his old stomping grounds – D’Angelo Russell.
Upon his return to Los Angeles, he put up 17.3 points, 5.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds. He is a real all-rounder and with him the Lakers won two out of three games. He could play a real key role alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The potent offense
Despite their poor position in the standings, the Lakers are very good on the offensive end. That should encourage their own fans in the fight for the playoffs. The host is averaging 117.0 points per game, which ranks seventh in the league.
This is primarily due to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who together average 56.0 points per game. The trade for Westbrook has also broadened the offensive line considerably and the bench is now very strong.
Weak on the defensive end
Los Angeles’ weak point is clearly their defence, as the Lakers allow an average of 118.2 points and thus have a negative scoring record. That could become a problem against the Golden State Warriors’ potent offence.
With the additions of Malik Beasley, Mo Bamba and Jarred Vanderbilt, the hosts have also been able to strengthen their defence. So the transfers could have a positive effect on the Lakers’ game on both sides of the court, and a lasting one at that.
Predicted line-up of Los Angeles Lakers:
SF: LeBron James – SG: Malik Beasley – PG: D’Angelo Russell – PF: Jarred Vanderbilt – C: Anthony Davis
Injured and Suspended Los Angeles Lakers Players:
LeBron James – Game Time Decision
Anthony Davis – Game Time Decision
Golden State Warriors – Statistics & current form
The Golden State Warriors are in ninth place in the Western Conference and would qualify for the play-in tournament. However, the season so far has been anything but satisfactory for the reigning champions, as the visitors are far from the NBA’s top teams at the moment. However, Steve Kerr’s team still has two games less than the Mavericks, for example, and could thus move up to sixth place. With the quality in the squad, missing the NBA playoffs would also be very surprising.
The injury worries
The visitors are dealing with a lot of injuries and one in particular hurts. Steph Curry will also miss out against the Lakers after suffering a leg injury in early February. Qualitatively, of course, it makes a big difference whether he plays or not.
In addition, Andre Iguodala, Andrew Wiggins, Ryan Rollins and returnee Gary Payton II are also injured. This thins the existing squad a lot and the 2nd row in particular seems to lack quality. The entire burden rests on the shoulders of Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole.
Sixth Man of the Year?
Jordan Poole would clearly be one of the favourites for this award if he hadn’t started a majority of the games in the starting five. This is primarily due to the many injuries and yet he remains a strong contender in the fight for this trophy.
Only 23 years old, he played every game this season and averaged 20.9 points. In a team with Curry, Thompson and Wiggins, you have to be able to do that, because the trio takes most of the shots. Since he has been active in the NBA, Poole has been able to improve year after year and makes you want more.
The lack of defense
The Warriors are allowing an average of 118.5 points, making them even more vulnerable than the Lakers. Golden State ranks 27th in league-wide scoring, meaning only three teams are even weaker on defence. And yet the visitors have a positive scoring record.
Steven Kerr’s team averages 118.6 points, making it the second-best offensive team in the NBA. But the visitors cannot rely on that against LA, because with Steph Curry the most important player in the team is missing.
Predicted line-up of Golden State Warriors:
SG: Jordan Poole – SG: Klay Thompson – F: Kevon Looney – PF: Draymond Green – SG: Donte DiVincenzo
Injured and Suspended Golden State Warriors Players:
Ryan Rollins – Out For Season
Steph Curry – Out
Gary Payton II – Out
Andrew Wiggins – Out
Andre Iduodala – Out
Los Angeles Lakers – Golden State Warriors Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The head-to-head comparison in this pairing goes to the hosts from Los Angeles. The Lakers have won 96 duels against the Warriors, while Golden State is on 56 wins. The last meeting took place just a few weeks ago and ended with a 103-109 victory for the Lakers in San Francisco.
Especially in front of a home crowd, it should be possible to repeat this result. In addition, LeBron James was injured and will be available again. For this reason, our prediction between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors goes in the direction of the home team.
Los Angeles Lakers – Golden State Warriors Tip
We are playing between Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors betting on a handicap win for the home team of -2.5.The host has made good transfers that should help the team move forward in all areas.
In addition, the away record of the visitors is shockingly weak and without Curry a win seems rather unlikely. Furthermore, the Lakers even managed to win in San Francisco without LeBron James almost a fortnight ago, so anything other than another win would be a big surprise.
Due to the All-Star Game, there was an extended break for both teams. For this reason, the odds for over 233.5 points are also interesting between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. Both teams should be rested and full of power going into this game.
With two of the best offenses meeting two of the weakest defenses, this looks to be a duel with plenty of points on the line.
