Warriors vs Lakers Odds, Spread and Picks

• The Golden State Warriors travel to face the Los Angeles Lakers at 8:30pm ET on Saturday, March 5th in Los Angeles
• The Warriors enter the game at 43-20 overall, while the Lakers come in at 27-35 on the year
• See below for the latest Warriors vs Lakers odds, analysis and the best bet

A Western Conference showdown wraps up action in the NBA on Saturday, March 5th when the Golden State Warriors visit the Los Angeles Lakers at 8:30pm ET on ABC in Los Angeles.

The Warriors enter the game at 43-20 on the year and are just 3-7 in their last 10 games. They’re holding onto the second seed in the West. Golden State most recently fell on the road to the Dallas Mavericks 122-113 on Thursday.

The Lakers come in at 27-35 overall and are a brutal 2-8 over their last 10 contests to sit as the ninth seed in the West. Los Angeles is coming off another loss on Thursday night, dropping a 132-111 battle against cross-town rival Los Angeles Clippers.

Going into the game, the Warriors are six-point favorites over the Lakers.

Warriors vs Lakers Odds

Odds as of March 4th from FanDuel

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Shorthanded Warriors Struggling As of Late

Golden State has put together a solid season thus far, led by the entertaining sharp-shooting duo of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The Warriors have bounced back to once again sit atop the West standings. But they’re now in danger of potentially sliding down coming into the weekend just a few games ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz.

The biggest reason behind the Warriors struggles as of late, resulting in the team losing three in a row for the first time this season, has been the lack of healthy players that have been able to actually take the floor for Golden State. The Warriors have many key players sidelined with injuries. Most notably Draymond Green (back), Andre Iguodala (back), James Wiseman (knee) and others.

Thompson (illness) was able to return on Thursday, but he has been banged up or sidelined lately as well.

You can tell the injuries that have taken place have weighed on the play of Curry and others as they try to carry the team temporarily. That fatigue has been present notably in the last two games, road losses to the Timberwolves and Mavericks.

Despite the slump, Curry sits just outside the top five in the NBA MVP odds.

Like the Lakers, the Warriors need a healthy roster to try and put a strong run together in the final stretch of the season and into the postseason. With Green, Iguodala, Wiseman and others still out, Curry and Thompson need to step up even more to lead their team.

Lakers in Danger of Dropping Out of NBA Playoff Picture

Los Angeles came into the season with aspirations of getting out of the West and representing the conference in the NBA Finals.

After another loss to the Clippers on Thursday, marking the fourth in a row for the Lakers and eighth of their last 10 games, they are not only far from that caliber of a team but they could also drop completely out of the postseason picture. They sit a distant 12th in the NBA Championship odds.

After its loss on Thursday, Los Angeles dropped to a season-worst eight games below .500. They’re now just two games ahead of 11th place Portland.

If the Lakers would drop to the 11th spot, they would miss out on the play-in tournament when the playoffs tip off. And with the way the team has played on both ends of the floor as of late, there’s reason to believe the season could continue to spiral out of control in Los Angeles.

Part of the reason behind the latest struggles for the Lakers has been the injury issues and inconsistency. On Thursday, Los Angeles used their 31st starting lineup of the season while continuing to look for answers to right the ship. The injuries won’t let up for the Lakers either, with players such as Anthony Davis (foot) and Avery Bradley (knee) still out, while Talen Horton-Tucker (ankle), Kendrick Nunn (knee) and even LeBron James (knee) banged up with injuries.

Things have gone from bad to worse in Los Angeles, and it likely won’t change or improve until Davis is able to return to the floor. But until that ultimately happens, the Lakers will continue to slide while trying to hang onto a seed for the postseason.

Warriors vs Lakers Best Bet

Both teams are shorthanded and banged up going into Saturday, also trying to get much-needed wins to end losing streaks. The team that will do that is Golden State, mainly due to the firestorm that is taking place in Los Angeles. Expect big nights from Curry and Thompson to over-match James.

For the best bet of the night, go with the Warriors being six-point favorites. Golden State is 30-29-4 against the spread this year, covering that spread by 1.2 points a game.

The Pick: Warriors -6 (-112)