It’s not fun to be Los Angeles Lakers fan these days. The Lakers sank lower in the standings after losing their third-consecutive game last Sunday against the Sacramento Kings, 108-101. Can the Lakers serve a super-sized upset tonight against the rampaging Golden State Warriors? Or will Lakers fans endure yet another agonizing loss by their team?
Also playing tonight are the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns. Read our detailed breakdown of this matchup here.
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Preview
Where: STAPLES CENTER, Los Angeles
When: Tuesday, December 23, 2014, 10:30PM ET
Line: Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are making professional basketball look like child’s play. Golden State improved its NBA-best record to 23-3 after giving the Sacramento Kings a 128-108 walloping on Thursday for the team’s second-straight victory.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Golden State dominated almost every facet of the game against the Kings. The Warriors shot 53.8 percent (49-for-91) from the field, grabbed 45 rebounds, and produced a mind-blowing 36 assists in an all-around display of solid basketball. The win was reminiscent of how Golden State blew the Lakers out of the water in the two teams’ first meeting last November 16. With the way Golden State has been playing lately, a repeat of their 136-115 victory over the Lakers doesn’t look to be a far-fetched idea.
In that game, the Warriors shot 53.5% overall from the field. They knocked down 14 triples—five coming from Stephen Curry—and collected 32 assists to completely flummox Los Angeles. Stephen Curry, as usual, will be the most feared Warrior on the floor. Curry scored 30 points and added 15 assists in the win over the Lakers.
Curry, Klay Thompson, and the rest of the Warriors could be in line for another high-scoring game against the Lakers, who have an atrocious defense. Lakers opponents are averaging 109.2 PPG.
Curry is putting up 25.6 PPG, while Thompson has an average of 24.0 PPG over the Warriors’ last five games.
The Warriors are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Betting on the Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant is one player with an unquestionable drive to win, but unfortunately plays for a team that doesn’t have a winning makeup. But even Bryant himself is partly to blame for the Lakers’ troubled season according to some experts.
Although Bryant is the team’s scoring leader with 24.6 PPG, he is very inefficient on offense, as evidenced by his poor 37.2 shooting percentage. The Lakers are on a three-game skid, during which the Lakers superstar averaged 18.3 PPG on a dreadful 26.8 FG%. In the team’s latest game, a 108-101 loss to Sacramento last Sunday, Bryant scored 25 points but went 8-for-30 from the field, while also committing nine turnovers.
That being said, Bryant fared better against Golden State on November 16, when he erupted for 44 points on 15-for-34 (44.1 FG%), while adding five rebounds and four assists.
This time around, Bryant will get help from Nick Young in scoring. Young wasn’t around in the team’s loss to Golden State because of a thumb injury. Over the Lakers’ last three games, Young has been scintillating on offense, as he averaged 18.0 PPG on 50.0 FG%. He’s also the Lakers’ main outside threat, as he is putting up 2.4 three-pointers per game thus far this season. Against Sacramento, Young was the Lakers’ top scorer with 26 points (7-for-14), including four treys.
The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Golden State wins, 116-96.
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