The Golden State Warriors will meet the Los Angeles Lakers in a key Pacific Division matchup on Thursday night. Newly acquired Luka Doncic is not expected to play, but is close to making his Lakers debut. The Warriors (25-25), who have won three of five, are 10-12 on the road. The Lakers (29-19), who have won nine of 11, including three in a row, are 16-6 on their home court. The Warriors will be without a couple of their leading scorers after they were traded away for Jimmy Butler on Wednesday.
Tip-off from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is set for 10 p.m. ET. The Lakers have won the two previous meetings with the Warriors this season, including a 118-108 win in San Francisco on Jan. 25. The Lakers are 7.5-point favorites in the latest Warriors vs. Lakers odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 221.5. Before making any Lakers vs. Warriors picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 16 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 144-102 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $3,000. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Warriors vs. Lakers and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Lakers vs. Warriors:
- Warriors vs. Lakers spread: Lakers -7.5
- Warriors vs. Lakers over/under: 221.5 points
- Warriors vs. Lakers money line: Golden State +252, L.A. Lakers -315
- GS: The Warriors are 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 games
- LAL: The Lakers are 6-1-1 against the spread in their last eight games
- Warriors vs. Lakers picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Warriors vs. Lakers streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Lakers can cover
Forward LeBron James has been dominant against the Warriors. In two games this season, he is averaging 28 points, 11 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 36 minutes of action. He registered a triple-double in a 128-112 win over the New York Knicks on Saturday. In that game, he poured in 33 points, while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 12 assists. In 45 games, all starts, he is averaging 24.1 points, 9.1 assists and 7.6 rebounds in 34.6 minutes.
As they continue to wait for Doncic’s debut, shooting guard Austin Reaves has stepped up and filled in nicely. He scored 27 points with six assists and five rebounds in the win over the Knicks. He also just missed recording a double-double in Tuesday’s 122-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. He scored 20 points, while dishing out nine assists and grabbing six rebounds. In two games against Golden State this season, he is averaging 21 points, 8.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds in 38 minutes. See which team to pick here.
Why the Warriors can cover
With small forward Andrew Wiggins headed to Miami, Golden State will lean on veteran point guard Stephen Curry until Butler arrives. Curry is coming off a 32-point and seven-assist performance in Wednesday’s 131-128 loss to the Utah Jazz. He has reached double-digit scoring in each of his last 20 games, and has six double-doubles on the year. He had 14 points and 12 assists in a 123-117 loss at Sacramento on Jan. 22. In 41 games, all starts, he is averaging 22.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 31.8 minutes.
Also picking up some of the scoring slack will be shooting guard Buddy Hield. He is averaging 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23 minutes of action. Against Utah on Wednesday, he poured in 18 points and grabbed three rebounds in 31 minutes. In a 130-105 loss to Phoenix on Jan. 31, he scored 13 points, while adding three rebounds and two assists. See which team to pick here.
How to make Warriors vs. Lakers picks
The model has simulated Lakers vs. Warriors 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is going Over the total, projecting 225 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits in nearly 70% of simulations. You can only see the NBA picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Warriors vs. Lakers, and which side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Warriors vs. Lakers spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 144-102 roll on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
