NBA Odds – Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers
Golden State Warriors (-8, 211 o/u) at Los Angeles Lakers
Pacific Division foes will meet on Sunday as the division-leading Golden State Warriors (6-2) face the last-place Los Angeles Lakers (1-7) at the Staples Centre. Tip-off is at 9:30 p.m. Eastern.
Despite leading the league in scoring (27.5 PPG), Kobe Bryant is shooting just 38.8% from the field. (To put that in perspective, Kobe’s lowest field-goal percentage for a season was 41.7% back in his rookie year (1996-97).) With seventh-overall draft pick Julius Randle being felled by a broken leg in the first game of the season, the Lakers appear set to rival last year’s incompetence, when they managed just 27 wins.
The situation could scarcely be more different for Golden State. New coach Steve Kerr has his team functioning at a high level, both offensively and defensively. The Warriors are fifth in the league in scoring (104.8 PPG) and 11th in the league on defense (97.6 PPG). Point guard Stephen Curry is the Warriors’ main weapon; Curry leads the team in points (24.9 PPG), assists (6.6 APG) and steals (2.6 SPG).
However, Steve Kerr isn’t satisfied yet with the offensive production yet. “We’re making six to eight plays of insanity per game.”
In their last ten head-to-head meetings, the Lakers and Warriors have each won five. But, with their disparate records and play in the early going, count on Curry and company prevailing on Sunday.
Zack is a tour guide whose favorite sports are football, baseball, and golf. He enjoys giving obnoxious commentary during games and hopes to some day write a book about sports. His favorite underdog victory was the Diamondbacks beating the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series.
