It’s LeBron James against the Golden State Warriors on the Christmas schedule again, though this time, the superstar is now with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have been better since James arrived in La La Land as expected, but is that enough for Los Angeles to take down the defending NBA champions?
The Lakers are +2,000 to win the NBA title in 2019, while the Warriors are priced -170 to win their third Larry O’Brien trophy in a row. Going into this highly anticipated game, the sportsbook favors the Warriors but with James driving the sleigh anything can happen this Christmas Day.
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Betting Preview for the Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State Warriors NBA Game on December 25, 2018
Where: ORACLE Arena, Oakland
When: Sunday, March 25
Line: Los Angeles Lakers (odds) vs. Golden State Warriors (odds) – view all NBA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Los Angeles Lakers (19-13)
The Lakers are simply a different team this season than the versions they’ve had in previous years largely because of the presence of a four-time MVP in the form of LeBron James. Take out LeBron James and this matchup likely wouldn’t have earned a place on the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule. As of this writing, James leads the Lakers in scoring (27.8 points per game), rebounds (8.0), and assists (7.2). In the Lakers’ 112-104 win last Friday over the New Orleans Pelicans at home, James posted a triple-double, consisting of 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists. He’s also getting help from the young duo of Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram. Kuzma is second on the team as of this writing in scoring with 18.3 points, while Ingram isn’t that far behind him with 15.3 points per contest. The Warriors haven’t looked as invincible as they used, too, particularly on defense, so the Lakers’ potent offense could have a good day on Christmas. Golden State has a middle of the road defense that allows 110.4 points per game. As for the Lakers, they are eighth in the NBA with 113.2 points per outing.
The over is 3-1 in the Lakers’ last four road games.
Betting on the Golden State Warriors (21-11)
Sure, the Warriors are losing games at a rate we’re used to see them suffer, but they’re still the Warriors. Perhaps their early season “swoon” is more of a reflection of them being human than a show of crack in the armor. After all, the defending NBA champions are third in the league with 115.5 points per game. They remain an incredibly efficient offensive team, one that owns the second-best effective field goal percentage (55.4) and the best field goal shooting percentage (48.6). They are also second in three-point shooting accuracy with a 38.7 clip from behind the arc. Only people who just started to watch basketball last week would be surprised of those numbers. For one, the Warriors continue to enjoy the control of the lethal trio of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson. Curry leads the team with 29.0 points per game, while Durant and Thompson chip in 28.8 and 22.0, respectively. That said, there’s a big drop-off after Curry in terms of scoring production with the next player being Quinn Cook, who’s chipping in just 8.1 points per game. The Warriors need their Big Three to click, as Golden State has the second-worst scoring bench in the league – one that generates a mere total of 29.8 points per contest.
The Warriors are 7-3 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 home games against the Lakers.
Writer’s Prediction
Golden State wins, 121-113.
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