On Christmas Day, the Los Angeles Lakers will travel to the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Warriors in a star-studded matchup. The Lakers come in at 19-14 and are in 4th place in the western conference. The Warriors come in at 23-11 and are in 2nd place in the western conference.
Bet on the National Basketball Association at our favorite sportsbook — 5Dimes
Lakers Try to Recover From Loss
The Lakers are coming off a 107-99 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Sunday night. Lebron James led the way with 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists. Brandon Ingram was the next highest scorer with 20 points, and Ivica Zubac poured in 19 points in a start with JaVale McGee out. Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart both scored 11 points, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 10 points in the loss. The Lakers will have to shoot a lot better if they want to have a chance against the Warriors. They went 33% from the free throw line and were miserable from the free throw line, shooting 68%.
The Warriors are coming off a nail-biting 129-127 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Sunday night. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant dominated in this game. Curry drilled 6 three-pointers and went 12 for 22 from the field en route to a 42 point performance. Durant went 10 for 19 shooting and poured in 35 points of his own. Okay Thompson had a poor shooting night, scoring 12 points on just 4 for 15 shooting. Draymond Green added 14 points, and Kevon Looney scored 10 points to go along with 7 rebounds off the bench. The Warriors shot just 45% from the field and 35% from three-point range but made 31 free throws which propelled them to victory.
Warriors Milk Home-Court Advantage
The Lakers have been poor on the road so far this season going just 7-9 away from the Staples Center. The Lakers are 17th in the league in offensive rating and are 10th in the league in defensive rating. Lebron James has led the team in all 3 major offensive categories, to no ones surprise. He averages 27.6 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, and 7.2 assists per game. Kyle Kuzma has been the next leading scorer, putting up 18.1 points per game. Brandon Ingram averages 15.5 and JaVale McGee adds 11.8 points per game, and they are the only other 2 Lakers scoring in double figures. Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all average 9 points per game.
The Warriors are incredible at home and are 15-3 in the Oracle Arena on the season. They rank 1st in several offensive categories and are 1st in the league in offensive rating but are 14th in defensive rating. The big three have been the main source of offense for the Warriors this season and are the only three Warriors averaging double digits in scoring. Steph Curry paces the team with 29.2 points per game. Kevin Durant is not too far behind with 29 points per game. Draymond Green is one of the most valuable players on the team but only scores 7.3 points a game. However, Green leads the team in rebounds and assists with 8 and 6.7 per game, respectively.
Warriors vs. Lakers Prediction
The Warriors come in at -9. The Warriors will be able to score at will like they have all season long. However, the Lakers have been a good offensive team this season as well. Both defenses are average, but I think Lebron will be able to keep this team close as he will want this game bad. Take the Lakers and the 9 points in a game that should be close throughout.
- Bet on Golden State -9
- Earn up to $520 in bonuses at 5Dimes.
- Bet on Los Angeles +9
- Get your 50% welcome bonus for betting at Bovada
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.